Department for Transport

Roads: Demonstrations

Gareth Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what legal injunctions (a) his Department, (b) Transport for London and (c) Westminster City Council are in place against protests that would obstruct (i) access roads to major central London Hospitals and (ii) other roads as of 7 November 2022.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department does not have any injunctions in place but is working closely with National Highways as the relevant highway authority. Injunctions are a matter for the respective highway authority and are granted by the High Court. As of 7 November 2022, National Highways have two High Court Injunctions in force; one specifically relating to structures and gantries on the M25 until 10 December 2022, and one covering the M25, the M25 feeder roads and major roads in Kent and around the Port of Dover until May 2023.  The case for further injunctions is being kept under review. Responsibility for managing London's road network is shared between Transport for London, National Highways, and the 32 London boroughs, plus the City of London. The Department is not aware of any injunctions held by Westminster City Council regarding access to the highway. Information pertaining to injunction orders may be found on tfl.gov.uk.

Bicycles: Speed Limits

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the number of e-bikes used on public highways that have been modified to travel at speeds higher than those permitted; what steps he plans to take to help ensure the safety of road users impacted by modified e-bikes; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department does not hold an estimate for the number of e-bikes that have been modified to travel at higher speeds. Modifications of this sort are only permitted if the vehicle meets the relevant type approval requirements and is registered, taxed and insured. The rider must also hold an appropriate driving licence and wear an approved motorcycle helmet. Enforcement of these requirements on the road is a matter for the police, while the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency is responsible for ensuring that illegally modified e-bikes are not offered for sale for use on the public highway. Various penalties apply for these different offences: for example, riding without insurance could result in a fixed penalty of £300 and 6 penalty points. There have also been a number of successful prosecutions for the sale of illegally modified e-bikes, resulting in criminal convictions, substantial fines, and recalling the e-bikes.

Driving Tests

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many driving tests took place in each of the last three years, broken down by category; what the current charge is to the user for each of those categories of test; and what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the taxpayer (i) of each test in each category and (ii) annually in total of delivering those tests.

Mr Richard Holden: The attached Table 1 shows the number of driving tests conducted, by test category:The attached Table 2 shows the standard test fees for each of the following practical test types, and the cost to deliver those tests in the financial year 2021-22:The fees charged for practical driving tests currently substantially cover the full cost of delivering those tests; however, the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency does incur a net cost from these activities. At Agency level, however, this net cost is currently offset by net income on other activities. The DVSA is looking at ways to rebalance its fees with costs. Table 1 - Number of driving tests (docx, 15.1KB)Table 2 -  Standard test fees (docx, 13.8KB)

Railways: Midlands

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Midlands Rail Hub on levelling up Leicestershire.

Huw Merriman: The Department has received the Outline Business Case for Midlands Rail Hub. We now need to assess the contribution of the scheme to the Government’s objectives, value for taxpayer money, and affordability considering the forthcoming Autumn Statement. The Outline Business Case will propose timescales for delivery of the scheme.

Cycling and Walking: Finance

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to reduce the active travel budget.

Jesse Norman: The Government will continue its support for active travel and has already invested unprecedented sums in enabling more walking and cycling since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

Railways: Midlands

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when work could begin on the first parts of the Midlands Rail Hub.

Huw Merriman: The Department expects to receive the Outline Business Case for Midlands Rail Hub today (14th November 2022).We now need to assess the contribution of the scheme to the Government’s objectives, value for taxpayer money, and affordability.The Outline Business Case will propose timescales for delivery of the scheme.

Cycling and Walking

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent steps the Government has taken to increase the level of active travel in the UK.

Jesse Norman: In July 2022, the Government published the second statutory Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy (CWIS2), reaffirming its commitment to active travel and setting out the objectives and the financial resources in place to achieve these for the period 2021 to 2025. In August 2022, the Department formally established Active Travel England as an Executive Agency. Active Travel England is already overseeing the delivery of £200 million of active travel schemes this financial year, and is due shortly to make an announcement on future active travel funding for local authorities. It is rapidly recruiting its core staff, as well as putting in place its formal governance structures. Other recent steps include the announcement in August 2022 of a number of social prescribing pilot schemes in eleven local authority areas. These will help join up the active travel and health agendas.

Railways: Midlands

Alberto Costa: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of building the Midlands Rail Hub on the economy of (a) the midlands and (b) the UK.

Huw Merriman: The Department for Transport expects to receive an Outline Business Case for Midlands Rail Hub today, 14th November. We will need to assess the contribution of the scheme to the Government’s objectives – including to the economy of the UK and Midlands region – alongside value for taxpayer money, and affordability considering the forthcoming Autumn Statement.

Bicycles: Registration

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits for law enforcement of requiring e-bikes to display identification or registration numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Government has no current plans to introduce identification or registration numbers for any type of pedal cycle, including e-bikes. Such a requirement would be likely to lead to a significant reduction in the number of people cycling, and the costs would be likely to outweigh the benefits that cycling brings, both for cyclists themselves and for wider society.

Transpennine Express: Standards

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there is a short-term service improvement plan in place for TransPennine Express.

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to help improve the services operated by TransPennine Express.

Huw Merriman: The Department, which manages TPE’s contract in partnership with Transport for the North, as a temporary solution and subject to strict conditions, agreed that TPE could introduce a revised timetable from mid-September 2022 for services it operates on the West Coast Main Line.The amended timetable was discussed with Northern stakeholders, including the Manchester Airport Group and Transport for Greater Manchester, and entails reductions in services back to a similar level provided pre-May 2022, complemented by additional bus services in Cumbria and the Scottish Borders.My officials have been in regular contact with TPE to manage the provision of services and have agreed a programme of measures to deliver a more reliable timetable, including:Ongoing review of timetables to establish a stable and reliable base in the short term;Introduction of additional drivers and conductors (currently being trained);Recruitment of 68 more drivers to reduce TPE’s reliance on rest day working and overtime; andResolution with the unions of current industrial relations issues, including the possible reinstatement of rest day working, to increase available staff resources and operational flexibility.

Road Traffic: Forecasts

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to publish revised national road traffic forecasts to replace the 2018 forecasts that predate the net zero target.

Mr Richard Holden: The department regularly reviews evidence and data on the drivers of travel demand and will publish an update to the 2018 Road Traffic Forecasts in due course.

Lower Thames Crossing

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the business case for the Lower Thames Crossing.

Mr Richard Holden: The business case for the Lower Thames Crossing was published by National Highways on 26 October.

Electric Vehicles: Blue Badge Scheme

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government plans to roll out fast electric vehicle chargers in Blue Badge parking bays for accessibility purposes.

Jesse Norman: We want an electric vehicle charging infrastructure network which has accessibility embedded in its design. This year, the Government and the national disability charity Motability co-sponsored the British Standards Institution to develop a new accessibility standard for electric vehicle charging. The PAS (Publicly Available Standard) 1899 provides specifications on designing and installing accessible public electric vehicle chargepoints. The location of chargepoints on public highways is a matter for local authorities which are responsible for issuing Blue Badges and associated on-street accessible parking bays. The Government encourages local authorities to consider installation of accessible chargepoints at appropriate locations, taking into account the specifications laid out in PAS 1899.

Bus Services: Franchises

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department plans to make changes to bus franchising guidance; if he will make it his policy to consult on any changes to that guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: My department is currently working with and consulting local authorities and other stakeholders to update the existing franchising guidance, published in November 2017, and will publish this in due course.

Bus Services: Public Inquiries

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many times have the Traffic Commissioners launched a public inquiry into bus operators in each (a) region and (b) nation in each of the last five years.

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will provide a breakdown of the reasons why the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain have launched public inquiries into bus operators in the last five years.

Mr Richard Holden: Statistics on the number of public inquiries conducted by Traffic Commissioners by traffic area, the general purpose for public inquiries being held, and any penalties imposed are published in the annual report of the Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/traffic-commissioners-annual-reports.

P&O Ferries: Finance

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much public funding P&O Ferries has received through the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

Mr Richard Holden: The first round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition awarded funding to the Dover Clean Ferry Project for a feasibility study between September 2021 – March 2022. The University of Kent was the lead organisation and P&O Ferries was one of their partners in the project consortium.Funding was given to P&O for costs incurred as part of the Dover Clean Ferry Project. This amounted to £3,168.45. They received no further funding after this point.P&O Ferries was not part of any winning bids in the second round of the Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition.

Shipping: Carbon Emissions

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to contribute to the work of the Maritime Just Transition Task Force since it was established at COP26.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department regularly engages with the members of the Taskforce, although it has not directly engaged with the Taskforce itself.

Southeastern Trains: Timetables

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department was (a) consulted on and (b) approved Southern Eastern Railway's plans to change its timetable of services from December 2022.

Huw Merriman: On 5 August 2022, the Department issued Southeastern with a formal derogation against the requirement to undertake a consultation exercise in respect of its December 2022 timetable changes.

Southeastern Trains: Timetables

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether there will be fewer total daily services on Southern Eastern Railway's as a result of planned changes to its timetable of services from December 2022.

Huw Merriman: Southeastern’s new timetable to be introduced in December 2022 will have slightly fewer services compared to the current timetable but provides more capacity where it is needed. There will be less than 1% fewer typical weekday passenger services across the SouthEastern network compared to the current timetable. These changes will help to rebalance between different routes to meet changes in demand.

Southeastern Trains: Timetables

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many timetable alterations on South Eastern Railway services will be introduced in December 2022.

Huw Merriman: Southeastern’s new timetable to be introduced in December 2022 has a very similar number of train services overall compared to the current timetable. The timings of the vast majority of services will change.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Energy: Conservation

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what measures the Government plans to introduce to encourage consumers to reduce energy consumption.

Graham Stuart: The Government is investing over £6.6 billion over this parliament to improve energy efficiency and decarbonise heating. In the summer the Government launched a GOV.UK digital service (‘Find ways to save energy in your home’) providing impartial, tailored advice to homeowners on ways to improve the energy performance of their homes. The service provides high-level trusted advice and information on retrofit recommendations suitable for their home.National Grid, working alongside energy suppliers and Ofgem, have also launched a voluntary service to reward users who reduce their electricity demand at peak times.

Wind Power: Construction

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has to make it easier to build wind farms on-shore.

Graham Stuart: The Government understands the strength of feeling that some people have about the impact of wind turbines in England, but is also serious about delivering cheaper, cleaner, more secure power. The Government will consider all options for increasing deployment in ways that local communities will support.

Carbon Emissions: Impact Assessments

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to ensure that future impact assessments considering the impact on net zero targets of Government policies are as (a) transparent, (b) accurate and (c) reliable as possible.

Graham Stuart: Impact Assessments use a sound evidence base and are assessed for their quality by the independent Regulatory Policy Committee. Impact assessments are subsequently published online for transparency. HM Treasury publishes the Green Book guidance on how to appraise the impacts of government policy. As part of this, BEIS publishes supplementary guidance to the Green Book, on how to estimate the impacts on energy and greenhouse gas emissions based on the latest science and in line with internationally recognised standards: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/valuation-of-energy-use-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-for-appraisal.

Hospitality Industry: Skilled Workers

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps he is taking to support an increase in the level of skilled workers in the hospitality sector.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is in regular dialogue with the sector and is aware of the recruitment challenges facing businesses. The Hospitality Sector Council is actively looking at this issue and the Government is working with businesses and the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board to consider how best to strengthen recruitment, and training for the hospitality sector. Immediate support includes £900 million annually for dedicated Work Coaches, adding hospitality and catering qualifications to the Free Courses for Jobs (part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee. The Government is backing five Private Members’ Bills on employment rights, including the including in the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill, which will create a legal obligation on employers to pass on tips to workers in full, in a fair and transparent manner. This package of Bills will deliver on commitments in the 2019 manifesto, helping new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, and giving employees better access to flexible working. On 1 April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage by 6.6% to £9.50. A full-time worker on the National Living Wage will have seen their annual earnings rise by over £1,000.

Hospitality Industry

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the hospitality sector on business viability in that sector after Christmas 2022.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government recognise the impact rising prices are having on businesses of all sizes, and is engaging with the hospitality sector to understand these challenges as well as exploring ways to mitigate them. The Government is working with the Hospitality Sector Council to deliver on our 2021 Hospitality Strategy to improve the resilience of hospitality businesses.The Energy Bill Relief Scheme ensures that businesses are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. The Government has also provided temporary business rates relief of 50% in 2022-23 for eligible retail, hospitality, and leisure businesses worth almost £1.7 billion.

Supermarkets

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the challenges faced by suppliers to UK groceries retailers in the current climate of rising input costs, in light of reports of increased retailer non-compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the Groceries Code Adjudicator in addressing the challenges faced by suppliers to UK groceries retailers in the current climate of rising input costs; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has noted that the results of the Groceries Code Adjudicator’s (GCA) 2022 Groceries Sector Survey suggest an increase in Groceries Code non-compliance and we encourage suppliers to raise concerns, in confidence, with the Adjudicator.The Government welcomes the seven golden rules that the GCA has published to help retailers consider cost price increase requests from suppliers efficiently and fairly.The third statutory review of the GCA’s effectiveness in enforcing the Code is currently underway and the Secretary of State’s report on the review will be published and laid before Parliament in due course.

Steel Council

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will reconvene the Steel Council as soon as possible with the intention of implementing a NetZero steel strategy.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Since taking up his role, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has prioritised engaging with steel companies, local MPs and other interested parties from the sector. The Secretary of State and I are now carefully considering the best way we can work collectively together over the coming period to secure the best outcomes for our steel industry. In the meantime, I will hold regular meetings with the steel sector, with the initial meeting due to take place before the end of the year.

Iron and Steel: Energy

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his Department's policy to support measures to reduce electricity prices for the steel sector beyond the six-month energy price cap announced in October.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government recognises that businesses are feeling the impact of high global energy prices, particularly steel producers. I am pleased that steel companies will benefit from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme over a six-month period. The Government will publish a review into the operation of the scheme by the end of the year to inform decisions on future support after March 2023. This scheme is in addition to extensive support we have provided to the steel sector to help with energy costs, worth more than £800 million since 2013.

Iron and Steel: Finance

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a UK steel innovation fund using industry funding returned from the EU Research Fund for Coal and Steel following the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government recognises the importance of research and development in helping to transform the steel sector as part of the cleaner, greener economy being developed in the UK. Our ongoing support for the sector’s low-carbon development includes access to over £1 billion in competitive funding to support industry with energy efficiency, decarbonisation, low carbon infrastructure and research and development. This is in addition to the £780m we have provided the steel sector since 2013 to help with energy costs. The Government will continue to work with the sector to support their long-term transition.

Energy Charter Treaty

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with fossil fuel producers in the last 12 months in regard to the Energy Charter Treaty.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what (a) meetings and (b) other discussions with representatives of fossil fuel producers (i) Ministers and (ii) officials at his Department have had on the Energy Charter Treaty in the last 12 months.

Graham Stuart: Ministers in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have not held meetings with representatives of fossil fuel producers on the Energy Charter Treaty in the last 12 months. Officials at the Department have held meetings with a range of relevant stakeholders on the Energy Charter Treaty. This has included representatives across UK energy sectors, including fossil fuel and renewable sectors, as well as academics and non-Governmental environmental organisations.

Energy Charter Treaty

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with representatives of fossil fuel producers on the Energy Charter Treaty, in the last 12 months.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had representatives of fossil fuel producers on revisions to the Energy Charter Treaty, since June 2022.

Graham Stuart: My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not held meetings with representatives of fossil fuel producers on the Energy Charter Treaty in the last 12 months.

Energy Bill Relief Scheme: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many high street businesses in Sefton Central constituency will receive funding from the Energy Bill Relief Scheme.

Graham Stuart: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) will provide a price reduction to ensure that all eligible businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. It will be for individual energy suppliers to identify which of their customers meet the eligibility criteria. It is therefore not possible to provide an estimate of how many high street businesses in Sefton Central Constituency may be eligible for the scheme.

Renewable Energy: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to increase funding for renewable energy sources in Sefton Central constituency.

Graham Stuart: The Government provides funding for Local Authorities to support deployment of energy efficiency and low carbon heating measures through the Home Upgrade Grant and Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund. These schemes include provision for renewable energy from domestic solar panels.

Fuel Oil: Prices

Angus Brendan MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2022 to Question 55036 on Fuel Oil: Prices, what recent progress he has made on determining how to deliver the £100 one-off support payment in winter 2022.

Graham Stuart: Households eligible for the Alternative Fuel Payments in Great Britain will receive £100 as a credit on their electricity bill this winter. For Northern Ireland, the Government is working with electricity suppliers to explore how the payment could be delivered via electricity bills under a similar delivery model. This is complicated because there is no central register, either in Great Britain or Northern Ireland, of people who do not use the gas grid for their heating

Parental Leave

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 77313 on Parental Leave, and with reference to Table 7 of the 2013 Impact Assessment, why the employee fathers with a self-employed partner are not included in the number of new fathers eligible for Shared Parental Leave.

Kevin Hollinrake: The 2013 Impact Assessment for Shared Parental Leave (SPL) estimated that take-up would be between 2-8 per cent based on Labour Force Survey analysis that 285,000 fathers/partners would be eligible, comprised of 267,000 employees and a further 17,000 self-employed fathers/partners. The reply to Question 77313 focused on employees only. The SPL evaluation will also include an up-to-date estimate of eligibility and take-up.

Bulb Energy

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 78625, how much funding was claimed by Bulb Energy under the draw down funding agreement with BEIS before Bulb Energy was taken over by Octopus Energy.

Graham Stuart: As per Teneo’s progress report on 21st June 2022, a total drawdown of £901m has been used to meet the costs of the Energy Administrators under the funding agreement. Further Information can be found at: https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08469555. Teneo, as part of their statutory obligations are required to provide progress reports on a six-monthly basis.

Offshore Industry: Environment Protection

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the oil and gas licensing round on (a) UK’s carbon budgets and net zero target; and (b) the UK’s obligations and commitments towards international climate targets.

Graham Stuart: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Liverpool Walton on 7th November 2022 to Question 77566.

Business: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the impact of the Growth Plan 2022 on businesses in Sefton Central constituency.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government seeks to make the UK the best place in the world to start and grow a business. The Growth Plan 2022 contributes to that goal by providing businesses with the certainty on energy prices they need to plan ahead. In particular, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a price reduction so that eligible businesses and other non-domestic customers in Sefton Central constituency are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Redundancy Pay

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November to Question 77335 on Cabinet Office: Redundancy Pay, how many special advisers working in his Department had their employment terminated, after their appointing minister ceased to hold office, from 29 June to 9 November 2022; at what pay band each was employed; and whether each had been in post for (a) 0-3 months, (b) 3-6 months, (c) 6-12 months or (d) more than 12 months.

Jeremy Quin: In line with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and the Model Contract for Special Advisers, a Special Adviser's appointment automatically terminates following a change of Administration, when their appointing Minister leaves office, or in the event of a General Election. Under these circumstances, Special Advisers are contractually entitled to a severance payment. Special Advisers who are later re-appointed to Government must repay their severance pay, less the amount of salary that they would have been paid had they been employed during the period between their termination and their re-appointment.The contracts of all Special Advisers in the Cabinet Office were automatically terminated on the change of Administration. As per the Model Contract, Special Advisers are entitled to receive three months' pay if termination occurs at any time during the first year of service, with an additional month’s pay for each completed year of service after the first year, subject to an overall maximum of six months’ pay. Where individuals were immediately re-appointed, severance was not payable.Information on Special Adviser numbers and costs, including pay bands, is published annually in the Annual Report on Special Advisers as per the requirements of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010.

Prime Minister: Written Questions

Matt Western: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 November 2022 to Question 73117 on Prime Minister: Furniture, what the disproportionate cost threshold is for answering written parliamentary questions.

Jeremy Quin: The Disproportionate Cost Threshold is set at £850. This is set out in the Guide to Parliamentary Work (2018) published at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/740236/Guide-to-Parliamentary-Work-2018.pdf.

Ministers: Public Appointments

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 74500 on Ministers: Public Appointments, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating and maintaining a central record of the average duration Ministers spend in post.

Jeremy Quin: I refer to the reply I gave to the Hon. Gentlemen on 7 November 2022.This information is a matter of public record. The Government has no plans to create and maintain a central record of the overall average duration of ministerial posts.

Department of Health and Social Care

Incontinence: Health Services

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when NHS England will publish its planned assessment of adherence to Excellence in Continence Care and its pandemic recovery and restoration plans.

Neil O'Brien: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Health Services: Weather

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Insight Panel survey by the Royal College of Radiologists on the proportion of doctors who felt unprepared for winter pressures; and what recent steps his Department has taken to help ensure that the NHS is able to cope with the anticipated level of demand for NHS services.

Will Quince: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Medicine: Education

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a grant scheme to encourage medical students to choose a career in treating endometriosis.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. The Women’s Health Strategy for England commits to improving education and training for healthcare professionals to encourage best practice in areas such as endometriosis.

Health: Gender

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) address and (b) close the gender health gap.

Maria Caulfield: The Women’s Health Strategy for England sets out ambitions for improving the health and wellbeing of women and girls and the experience of engaging with the health and care system. We have also appointed a Women’s Health Ambassador for England to support delivery of the Women’s Health Strategy.

Mental Health: Cost of Living

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) Cabinet colleagues on the impact of the cost of living crisis on mental health.

Maria Caulfield: We have regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including the impact of the rising cost of living on mental health.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, which medical conditions have been (a) accepted and (b) rejected by independent medical assessors appointed by his Department as having a causal connection to covid-19 vaccines.

Maria Caulfield: Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme assessors do not accept or reject specific conditions or injuries, as claims are individually assessed on a case-by-case basis by an independent medical assessor. Claimants may also present with multiple conditions which can have an impact on an assessment. We are unable to provide a list of medical conditions experienced by individuals whose claims have been accepted or rejected as it relates to personal information.

Mental Health Services: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help support the (a) recruitment and (b) retention of mental health specialists in Portsmouth South constituency.

Maria Caulfield: The NHS Long Term Plan stated the aim of increasing the mental health workforce in England by an additional 27,000 professionals by 2023/24. NHS England and Health Education England are working with local integrated care systems, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System, to confirm plans for service models, supply, retention and recruitment until 2024. NHS England continues to support local systems, including Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System, to develop tailored health and wellbeing offers to meet the needs of the local mental health workforce. This includes mental health hubs in each integrated care system and occupational health services which are being supported through the Growing Occupational Health and Wellbeing national programme.

Mental Health Services: Young People

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help provide young people with timely and effective Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services in Darlington.

Peter Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services assessments in Darlington constituency.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 9 November 2022 to Question 78834.

Perinatal Mortality: Portsmouth South

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of trends in rates of perinatal mortality in Portsmouth South constituency.

Maria Caulfield: No specific assessment has been made. The Government’s national maternity safety ambition aims to halve the 2010 rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries in babies occurring during or soon after birth, by 2025. Since 2010, the rate of stillbirths has reduced by 19.3%, the rate of neonatal mortality for babies born over 24 weeks gestational age of viability has reduced by 36% and maternal mortality has reduced by 17%. We have introduced targeted interventions to accelerate progress, such as the Saving Babies Lives Care Bundle and the Brain Injury Reduction Programme. NHS England has also invested £127 million in National Health Service maternity workforce and improving neonatal care. This is in addition to the £95 million investment made in 2021 to fund the establishment of a further 1,200 midwifery and 100 consultant obstetrician posts. NHS England is offering funding and support to trusts to recruit an additional 300 to 500 overseas midwives in the next 12 months.

Dementia: Diagnosis

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2022 to Question 13826 on Dementia: Diagnosis, when he plans to publish further details of the financial support that will be provided by his Department to help tackle the backlog of dementia diagnoses.

Helen Whately: Last financial year, £17 million was made available to Clinical Commissioning Groups to specifically address dementia waiting lists and increase the number of diagnoses. Work to improve dementia diagnosis rates will continue in 2022/23.

Suicide: Veterans

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will take steps to encourage local authorities to increase their engagement with veterans charities to help inform local authority suicide prevention action plans.

Maria Caulfield: We continue to work with local authorities to ensure that suicide prevention action plans remain effective and include at-risk groups, such as veterans.

Mental Health: Cost of Living

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make additional funding available to the NHS to help address the effect of the rising costs of living on mental health.

Maria Caulfield: NHS England has released a further £1.5 billion to integrated care systems to address the rising costs of energy and inflation. Integrated care boards will determine how this funding will be allocated to meet the needs of local populations.

Hearing Impairment: Health Services

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for future delivery of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss.

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Action Plan on Hearing Loss on people with hearing loss.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made. Local National Health Service organisations are responsible for commissioning hearing services to meet the needs of the local population. In 2016, we published ‘Commissioning Services for People with Hearing Loss: A framework for clinical commissioning groups’, which supports integrated care boards in England to provide high quality and integrated care. The framework also addresses inequalities in access and outcomes between hearing services.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women are awaiting invites to the NHS England’s Breast Screening Programme.

Helen Whately: The National Health Service breast screening programme is restoring services following the impact of COVID-19, with the backlog in invitations reduced each month and additional clinics are being provided to increase capacity. NHS England forecasts that by the end of November 2022, 50 of the 75 screening providers will have fully restored services, with five pending a review. This is anticipated to increase to 65 providers by the end of the year. The remaining 10 services are predicted to restore services in 2023.

Mental Health

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the call for evidence for the Mental health and wellbeing plan, published by his Department on 12 April 2022, whether the 10 year mental health plan will be published before the end of 2022; whether the plan will include any new spending commitments; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Caulfield: We received more than 5,000 submissions to the call for evidence, which closed in July 2022. We are currently considering the responses and further information will be available in due course.

Mental Health: Cost of Living

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of living crisis on levels of mental health.

Maria Caulfield: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Tooting (Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP) on 1 November 2022 to Question 68566.

Social Services: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that no one with complex disabilities goes without the care they need because of staff shortages.

Helen Whately: Local authorities should work with care providers to meet care needs in their area, including the needs of people with complex disabilities.The Department is backing adult social care recruitment at home and abroad. On 2 November we launched a new domestic national recruitment campaign to help address workforce pressures. We are investing £15 million to support local areas to access overseas recruitment opportunities.

Suicide

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to achieve the lowest national suicide rate ever recorded via the new suicide prevention plan; and when he plans to publish that plan.

Maria Caulfield: The Government held a call for evidence earlier this year to inform long-term priorities for mental health, wellbeing and suicide prevention. We are currently considering the responses received and further information will be available in due course. In addition, we are working with stakeholders, national and local government, the voluntary sector and academics to consider aims for the reduction of suicide prevention rates.

Physiotherapy: Mothers

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential benefits of offering new mothers pelvic floor physiotherapy.

Maria Caulfield: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidance recognises that physiotherapy is important for the prevention and treatment of pelvic floor problems relating to pregnancy and birth. The NHS Long Term Plan committed to ensure that women have access to multidisciplinary pelvic health clinics and pathways in England.NHS England is deploying perinatal pelvic health services to improve the prevention, identification and access to physiotherapy for pelvic health issues antenatally and postnatally. Two-thirds of local maternity and neonatal systems are expected to establish these services by the end of March 2023, with full deployment in England expected by March 2024.

Care Quality Commission: Employment Tribunals Service

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Care Quality Commission on the steps it plans to take to review its practices following the finding of the Employment Tribunal in the case of Mr Shyam Kumar.

Maria Caulfield: There have been no specific discussions. As an independent regulatory body, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has accepted the Employment Tribunal’s findings and appointed Zoë Leventhal KC of Matrix Chambers to conduct an independent review to determine whether it took appropriate action in response to Mr Shyam Kumar’s protected disclosures.The independent review will consider whether ethnicity or any other protected characteristics affected decision making or outcomes. The CQC has published the terms of reference for the review online. In addition, the CQC is undertaking a further review on inclusivity, including understanding whether race or any other protected characteristic has an impact on how the CQC treats information of concern. The CQC will publish the conclusions of these reviews in due course.

Rheumatology: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to address the need for rheumatology services in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency, (b) London and (c) England.

Helen Whately: The majority of rheumatology services are commissioned by local integrated care boards (ICBs) to meet the health needs of the local population. NHS England’s Best Musculoskeletal Health Programme and the Getting it Right First Time Programme works with ICBs to inform improvements to rheumatology services, including in London.

Coronavirus: Medical Treatments

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 September to Question 47669 on Coronavirus: Medical Treatments, whether he plans to take steps to ensure that future prophylactic treatments for covid-19 are quickly made available to clinically extremely vulnerable patients.

Will Quince: The Antivirals and Therapeutics Taskforce will continue to monitor emerging evidence from the ‘PROTECT-V’ clinical trial to ensure that procurement of future prophylactic treatments for COVID-19 are fully informed. Where clinical trial data indicates the effectiveness of new treatments, RAPID C-19 will ensure that regulatory approval is sought as soon as possible to allow safe and rapid access to medicines for National Health Service patients. The Taskforce will transition to business as usual functions in the long term. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is undertaking a multiple technology appraisal of COVID-19 therapeutics and will continue to engage with stakeholders.

Lung Cancer: Screening

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the UK National Screening Committee’s recommendation to introduce a targeted lung cancer screening programme.

Helen Whately: We are considering this recommendation with NHS England.

Heart Diseases: Nurses

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Getting it Right First Time Programme National Specialty Report on Cardiology published in February 2021, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of heart failure specialist nurses to between three and four per 100,000 population.

Will Quince: Employers are responsible for ensuring the appropriate the number of heart failure specialist nurse posts, based on population need. It is expected that local organisation will develop registered nurses into this role with regional funding from Health Education England (HEE). HEE is developing Advanced Clinical Practice, with a national multi professional framework specifying core capabilities. Organisations are being supported to understand this level of practice and how the workforce can be developed into Advanced Clinical Practice level roles.

Department of Health and Social Care: Redundancy Pay

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the cost to his Department was of Ministerial severance payments in the last six months; which Ministers accepted a severance payment; and how much each Minister received.

Will Quince: The provision of severance payments for Ministers is set out in legislation. Details of severance payments made on leaving office are published in the Department’s Annual Reports and Accounts.

NHS Trusts: Management Consultants

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of how much NHS trusts in England spent on management consultants in 2021-22.

Will Quince: The information requested will be included in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021/22, which is expected to be published in December 2022.

Autism and Learning Disability: Social Services

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by Cordis Bright entitled Learning Disability and Autism Social Care providers: Financial Impact Assessment, published in October 2022, whether he has made an assessment of the implications for his policies of the findings of that report on the impact on quality of care for people with (a) autism and (b) learning disabilities of independent providers having to hand back their contracts.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made. Local authorities are responsible for planning for the care needs of the local population and developing market capacity. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities are required to shape local markets and ensure that high quality, sustainable and person-centred care and support options are available. The Department regularly monitors any risks to adult social care provider viability and the continuity of care in England.

Gynaecology: Waiting Lists

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an estimate of (a) the average waiting time, (b) the number of women waiting and (c) the number of women waiting over one year for a gynaecological appointment or procedure; what steps she is taking to help reduce waiting times for these appointments; and whether she has made an estimate of when waiting times will return to pre covid-19 levels.

Will Quince: As of September 2022, the median average waiting time for gynaecology treatment was 15.7 weeks. The information requested on the number of women waiting for an appointment or procedure is not held centrally. The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including gynaecological services. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels.

Brain Cancer: Research

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding the Government has made available for brain cancer research this calendar year.

Will Quince: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). While it is not standard practice to ring-fence funds for particular topics or conditions, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including brain cancer. Information on funding for brain cancer research is not collected in the format requested. However, the NIHR is currently funding 13 research projects for brain cancer with expenditure of £1.6 million in 2021/22 and a forecast of £2.1 million in 2022/23. The NIHR Clinical Research Network has also supported over 70 brain cancer related studies in 2021/22 and 2022/23.

Radiotherapy: Yorkshire and the Humber

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the report by the Royal College of Radiologists entitled RCR Clinical oncology census report 2021, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the level of the clinical oncology workforce shortfall in Yorkshire and the Humber on patient access to radiotherapy.

Will Quince: There are no plans to make a specific assessment. Health Education England is addressing the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1. It is investing an additional £50 million in 2022/23, including expanding the postgraduate medical training of cancer-related medical professions, such as clinical oncologists. We have also funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England, which was completed in September 2020.

Ophthalmic Services: Research

Dr Philippa Whitford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that eye care research is a priority for life sciences research in the UK.

Will Quince: The Department funds research into eye care though the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). Applications for funding are subject to peer review and judged in open competition with awards being made based on the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. The NIHR has recently announced awards of £20 million and £6.5 million over five years to support the NIHR Moorfield Biomedical Research Centre and Clinical Research Facilities respectively. These centres are dedicated to supporting eye care research funded by public funders, medical research charities and the life sciences industry.

Coronavirus: Hospitals

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the beds supplied for use in the Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel centre are currently in use in other hospitals.

Will Quince: NHS England advise that regions were responsible for co-ordinating the redistribution of assets including beds and medical equipment from the Nightingale hospitals. Each host trust is responsible for managing a list of these assets. The remaining surplus stock has been collected and made available for national redistribution under the existing warehousing, asset tracking and logistics contracts.

Nintedanib

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to make nintendanib available on the NHS for patients suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

Mark Logan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made on the effectiveness of nintendanib for patients suffering from pulmonary fibrosis.

Will Quince: Nintedanib is routinely available to eligible National Health Service patients according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) guidance, which recommends nintendanib for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis for patients with a Forced Vital Capacity of between 50 to 80% predicted.NICE is currently reviewing its recommendations on the use of nintedanib for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in those with a forced vital capacity above 80% predicted and currently expects to publish final guidance in March 2023.

Cancer: Screening

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much additional funding his Department will allocate to the expansion of the cancer and diagnostic workforce in (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.

Will Quince: In 2022/23 Health Education England is investing £50 million on the priorities identified in the cancer workforce plan phase 1. Spending plans for 2023/24 to 2024/25 inclusive are subject to a detailed financial planning exercise and will be finalised in due course.

Gynaecology: Waiting Lists

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the backlog of gynaecology appointments in (a) England, (b) Lancashire and (c) Preston.

Will Quince: The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years, including gynaecology services. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund already made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This funding aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much unused PPE has been (a) donated, (b) sold, (c) recycled, and (d) incinerated from the start of the covid-19 outbreak to date.

Will Quince: The information requested is currently being collated and centrally validated.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 9 November 2022 to Question 78673 on NHS: Protective Clothing, how this PPE is stored; and how much it is costing per day to store.

Will Quince: The majority is stored in sites in the United Kingdom in containers, warehouses and supplier storage and approximately 120 million items are currently stored in China. The cost of storage is £770,000 per day.

Olaparib

Andy Carter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department is taking steps to make Olaparib available on the NHS for people with prostate cancer.

Will Quince: In October 2022, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published guidance which does not recommend olaparib for the treatment of prostate cancer. ‘Olaparib for previously treated BRCA mutation-positive hormone-relapsed metastatic prostate cancer’ is available at the following link:https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ta831NICE continues to survey new evidence which may affect its published guidance and would consult on proposed changes with a wide range of stakeholders if significant new evidence were to emerge.

Multiple Sclerosis: Staffordshire

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of support for people with multiple sclerosis in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) North Staffordshire.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made.

Diabetes: Staffordshire

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the availability of support for people with diabetes in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) North Staffordshire.

Helen Whately: No specific assessment has been made.

Medical Equipment: Energy

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what guidance his Department has issued to local NHS services on supporting patients using lifesaving healthcare equipment in their own homes in the event of winter blackouts.

Helen Whately: Care providers and equipment suppliers support those with long term conditions to safely use medical equipment at home and in cases where the equipment is disrupted. In a power outage scenario, the Priority Services Register is maintained by electricity network operators to target support to the most vulnerable customers.

Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme

Luke Hall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will extend the remit of the NHS Healthcare Travel Cost Scheme to include parents attending hospital to care for a baby in neonatal care, recognising that they are not visitors to their baby, but essential caregivers.

Neil O'Brien: There are no plans to extend the Scheme.

NHS: Vacancies

Colleen Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the number of NHS workforce vacancies in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) England; and what steps he is taking to fill such vacancies in those areas.

Will Quince: The information on vacancies in Coventry and the West Midlands is not collected in the format requested. However, as of June 2022, there were 25,225 full time equivalent (FTE) vacancies in the Midlands and 132,139 FTE vacancies in England. Local National Health Service trusts are responsible for managing staffing levels and recruiting the appropriate health professionals required to meet local service need.

NHS: Databases

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the trends in the levels of public trust in the health and care system’s use of data.

Will Quince: ‘Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data’ was published in June 2022 and sets out plans to harness the potential of data in health and care, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and ethics. We have established a programme designed to increase public confidence in how their data is used, including an expert external advisory group. Additionally, the Department regularly monitors measures of public trust to inform this work.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant the Answer 9 November 2022 to Question 69577 on NHS: Protective Clothing, whether his Department has taken steps to include legal fees for disputed contracts in its budget; and when and in what format he plans to publish the forecast for these costs.

Will Quince: The Department plans to include legal fees for disputed contracts in its budget. Further information on these costs will be available in due course.

Doctors: Training

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase recruitment to speciality training in the NHS.

Will Quince: For those who applied to begin training in 2022, Health Education England invested in more than 750 additional training posts across all programmes. For posts commencing in August 2022, 7,894 doctors accepted posts with a fill rate of 99.7%.In January 2022, the Department commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention. The plan is due for completion by the end of 2022 and its conclusions will be available in due course. Funding plans beyond the current Spending Review period will be subject to the outcome of future Spending Reviews.

Doctors: Training

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of offering upskilling roles for non-trainee registrars in response to a shortage in training programmes to allow them to obtain Certificates of Equivalent Specialist Registration.

Will Quince: No formal assessment has been made. However, NHS England and Health Education England are considering a wide range of options to support doctors training through the development of the forthcoming long term workforce plan.The Department is amending the legislation which governs entry to the specialist and general practitioner (GP) registers. We expect changes to the legislation to be made before the end of 2022. This will enable the General Medical Council to develop new routes to the specialist and GP registers in due course and increase accessibility.

Ear, Nose and Throat Conditions: Health Services

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of raising the level of ENT training opportunities at hospitals with sufficient surgical procedure throughput per week.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. However in 2022, Health Education England created 10 additional training places for ear, nose and throat specialty training, which was a 35.7% increase from the 2021 intake.

NHS: Pay

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the impact of NHS real terms pay cuts on levels of NHS workforce retention in the last 12 years.

Will Quince: Pay increases in the public sector, including for staff working in the National Health Service, are determined through the independent Pay Review Body process. In reaching its recommendations, the Pay Review Bodies consider factors such as retention, motivation, affordability and inflation. Since 2010, the stability index, which measures the percentage of staff employed within the Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) at the beginning of the period and who remain employed in the HCHS at the end of the period, has remained stable between 89.7% and 87.4%. The NHS Retention Programme seeks to understand why staff leave in order to target interventions to support staff to stay whilst keeping them well. All NHS trusts have tailored retention programmes focusing on career development and training pathways to retain staff.

Sertraline: Side Effects

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will undertake a review of the potential (a) causes of and (b) treatments for potential side effects of Sertraline.

Will Quince: There are no plans to do so. The risk of side effects associated with sertraline may depend on the dose and will often reduce or cease with continued treatment. The causes of any side effects may differ. Prescribers may recommend treatments for potential side effects of sertraline based on the individual nature and site of the side effect. A list of possible side effects associated with sertraline is available to prescribers and patients in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s approved Summary of Product Characteristics and the patient information leaflet.

Health Services: Weather

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the Royal College of Radiologists Insight Panel survey, conducted in October 2022, what steps his Department is taking to ensure patient safety during winter 2022.

Will Quince: To ensure patient safety during winter, the National Health Service is increasing capacity and resilience through the equivalent of at least 7,000 general and acute beds. This includes new physical beds and expanding the use of innovative virtual wards to treat patients safely at home. We are also establishing a £500 million Adult Social Care Discharge Fund to allow medically fit patients to return home, increase bed capacity and reduce waiting times in accident and emergency (A&E) departments.NHS England has allocated a further £150 million for the ambulance service in 2022/23, in addition to £20 million to upgrade the ambulance fleet. NHS England is also working with the most challenged acute trusts to reduce delays in transferring ambulance patients to A&E and a new national winter improvement collaborative programme will assist trusts to identify the causes of delays and implement best practice.We are preparing for potential variants of COVID-19 and seasonal respiratory illness through the integrated COVID-19 booster and flu vaccination programme to minimise hospital admissions.

Care Homes: Epilepsy

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the number of adult care home places that are required for people with epilepsy as of 9 November 2022; and whether his Department has taken recent steps to support people with epilepsy in adult care homes which have been forced to close.

Helen Whately: There are no plans to make a specific estimate, as demand projections do not specifically identify those with epilepsy. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities have a temporary duty to ensure continuity of care if a provider fails or exits the market. This ensures that people, including those with epilepsy, should continue to receive care and support if an adult social care provider is no longer able to deliver services.

Dialysis Machines

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the trends in the level of in-centre dialysis patients over the last three years; and what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of in-centre capacity in renal units in England.

Helen Whately: From 2018 to 2020, there has been an increase of approximately 2.6% in demand for in-centre haemodialysis services in England.NHS England advises that there is no evidence of current in-centre capacity issues which may impact patient outcomes. Renal clinical networks in England continue to work with commissioned renal providers to assess capacity challenges and support mitigation through regional infrastructures.

Dialysis Machines

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the take-up by patients dialysing at home of the available financial reimbursements.

Helen Whately: Provisions are in place for patients receiving haemodialysis treatment at home to be reimbursed by their usual dialysis provider for additional direct energy costs as a result of their treatment. NHS England is increasing access to this utility reimbursement, including communicating directly to all commissioned providers of home dialysis and renal clinical networks to proactively alert eligible patients to these arrangements.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when all Breast Screening Units in England will meet their recovery criteria.

Helen Whately: NHS England forecast that by the end of November 2022, 50 of the 75 screening providers will have recovered services, with five pending a review. By the end of 2022, 65 are forecast to have fully recovered and the remaining 10 services predicting recovery in 2023.

Rheumatology: Health Services

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department is providing to Integrated Care Systems to implement the recommendations of the 2021 Getting It Right First Time Programme National Specialty Report on rheumatology.

Helen Whately: The Getting it Right First Time (GIRFT) programme provides support to integrated care systems on the report’s recommendations through NHS England’s regional teams.

Dialysis Machines

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment his Department has made of the level of demand for renal dialysis; and what assessment his Department has made of the capability of the NHS to support future anticipated demand for dialysis with existing infrastructure.

Helen Whately: NHS England’s renal clinical networks are undertaking demand forecasting and capacity planning to understand future in-centre patient demand for adult haemodialysis patients, and peritoneal patients unable to receive treatment at home.

Health: Edmonton

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to help tackle health inequality in Edmonton constituency.

Neil O'Brien: The government is committed to supporting individuals to live healthier lives, and at the heart of this is improving access to and levelling-up health and care across the country, including in Edmonton. The Department continues to review how health disparities can be addressed and further information will be available in due course. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities also works with services in Edmonton to support programmes to reduce health inequalities, including providing evidence and intelligence.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility for covid-19 vaccines to children under five.

Neil O'Brien: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is assessing the potential merits of extending the offer of COVID-19 vaccine to children under the age of five years old, subject to authorisation of such vaccines by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Health: Asylum

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on health outcomes for (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers staying in accommodation provided by his Department.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Department does not provide accommodation for refugees or asylum seekers.

Ophthalmic Services: Staff

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to expand the size of the ophthalmology work force.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has commissioned NHS England to develop a long-term workforce plan. The plan will consider the number of staff and the roles required and will set out the actions and reforms needed to improve workforce supply and retention.Health Education England has confirmed an increase in ophthalmology training places for 2022 and training and development is available for the wider existing workforce, including orthoptists, ophthalmic nurses, optometrists and dispensing opticians, to support staff to work to the full extent of their licence.NHS England is also working with the Royal College of Ophthalmologists to support cataract training in the National Health Service and independent sector and to determine which hospital eye care services can be safely moved into the community, supported virtually through digital technology by secondary care specialists.

Strokes: Mechanical Thrombectomy

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make it his policy to introduce mechanical thrombectomy treatment for suitable ischaemic stroke patients.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of stroke patients in Lewisham East constituency requiring thrombectomy treatment in each year since 2018.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what percentage of stroke patients treated by the Greenwich & Lewisham NHS Trust received thrombectomy treatment in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Helen Whately: The NHS Long Term Plan committed to increase the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy for suitable ischaemic stroke patients by 10%. Thrombectomy is available in 24 centres in England, with two non-neuroscience centres currently under development to improve access. The latest data shows that 2.8% of patients are receiving a thrombectomy following a stroke.Information on stroke patients requiring thrombectomy treatment in Lewisham East is not held in the format requested. In 2020/21, no stroke patients treated by the Greenwich and Lewisham NHS Trust received thrombectomy treatment.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the proportion of people under the age of 18 eligible for healthy start funding and took that funding up in the last 12 months.

Neil O'Brien: There are no plans to make a specific estimate.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria for PrEP to widen access on the basis of individual risk of acquiring HIV.

Neil O'Brien: No formal assessment has been made. However, existing clinical guidelines allow clinicians to prescribe pre-exposure prophylaxis by considering the patient’s risks and needs and assessing the benefits and potential harms.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to provide midwives and health visitors with tools to help their patients access Healthy Start funding.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority promotes the Healthy Start scheme through its digital channels and provides free tools for stakeholders and healthcare professionals.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will review the operation of the Healthy Start programme, in order to help ensure that everyone who is eligible for the scheme receives the payments to which they are entitled.

Neil O'Brien: The NHS Business Services Authority has digitised the Healthy Start scheme to assist families to apply for, receive and use the benefits.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the proportion of people who are eligible for the Healthy Start scheme and who do not take it up, who would also meet the criteria for experiencing the highest level of deprivation.

Neil O'Brien: There are no plans to make a specific assessment. However, the Department has commissioned an evaluation of the Healthy Start scheme in England. The 30-month project commenced in June 2022.

Healthy Start Scheme

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the Healthy Start scheme on the diet of children in families benefiting from the scheme.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has commissioned an evaluation of the Healthy Start scheme in England. The 30-month project commenced in June 2022.

Health Services: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether additional resources are made available to (a) GPs and (b) other NHS services to support potential demand for services from refugees.

Neil O'Brien: It is vital that everyone can access the health, care and support they need to live a longer life in better health. Additional resources are made available for General Practices and other National Health Services to support potential demand for services from refugees. This includes the UK Resettlement Scheme, the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme and the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and arrivals under the Homes for Ukraine and Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme.

Public Health: Cost of Living

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of cost of living on public health.

Neil O'Brien: We are working across Government and with external partners to identify who is most vulnerable to the impacts of increased cost of living, and what action can be taken to support them.In addition, the Government announced a £37 billion package of cost of living support to help households and businesses, including a £15 billion targeted package of direct support for the most vulnerable households. We are also investing £12 billion in Help to Heat schemes to help make people’s homes warmer and less costly to heat, this includes £1.1 billion to the Home Upgrade Grant until 2025, of which £500 million has already been granted to local authorities as part of the Sustainable Warmth Competition to provide energy-efficiency upgrades to lower-income, energy inefficient homes.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant of the Answer of 9 November 2022 to Question 69576 on NHS: Protective Clothing, what the employment arrangements are for people involved in resolving contractual disputes relating to personal protective equipment.

Will Quince: These staff are employed on temporary contracts.

Health Services: Weather

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the Royal College of Radiologists Insight Panel survey, conducted in October 2022, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the NHS (a) has sufficient staff to meet demand for and (b) is prepared for additional pressure on diagnostic services during winter 2022.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the findings of the Royal College of Radiologists Insight Panel survey, conducted in October 2022, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that targets for patient waiting times for diagnoses are met during winter 2022.

Will Quince: The National Health Service is developing initiatives to address retention, staff health and wellbeing, options to return to work following retirement and ensuring the current workforce has the appropriate skills and training. The Department is working with NHS England on rapid international recruitment and the utilisation of support workers across professions. We are also expanding the digital passport scheme, which allows professionals to work across trusts.The ‘Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care’ sets out how the National Health Service will recover and expand elective services over the next three years. We have allocated more than £8 billion from 2022/23 to 2024/25, in addition to the £2 billion Elective Recovery Fund and £700 million Targeted Investment Fund made available in 2021/2022 to increase elective activity. This aims to deliver the equivalent of approximately nine million additional checks and procedures and 30% further elective activity by 2024/25 than pre-pandemic levels. A proportion will be invested in workforce capacity and training and we have committed to invest £5.9 billion for new beds, equipment and technology. This has supported the development of 91 community diagnostic centres (CDCs), with plans for 160 CDCs by 2025. CDCs have provided more than 2.25 million tests to date. In 2022/23, we have provided £15 million for additional imaging equipment for acute diagnostic imaging departments, which will deliver a further 37,000 tests during the winter in 30 NHS trusts and more than 160,000 tests in 2023/24. We are also upgrading 200 magnetic resonance imaging scanners to increase capacity.

Detention Centres: Manston

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he first received a report of the communicable health outbreaks at the Manston immigration centre; and what steps his Department took to respond to these reports.

Neil O'Brien: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) was informed of multiple cases of diarrhoea and vomiting in Manston on 7 September 2022, which was later confirmed to be due to infection with Shigella bacteria. While there is also a cluster of diphtheria cases linked to the Manston centre, it is not classed as an outbreak as there is currently no evidence of transmission in the setting. Such cases are more likely to have been acquired prior to arrival. The UKHSA was notified of the first confirmed case on 15 October 2022.The UKHSA undertook a risk assessment and chaired incident management team meetings of local partners to coordinate the responses. This included making recommendations regarding testing, infection prevention and control, cleaning, isolation or cohorting of people and treatment and immunisation in line with existing guidance. The UKHSA has established a national incident response to address the cluster of diphtheria cases and wider health protection issues in asylum accommodation settings.

NHS: Car Allowances

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the NHS mileage rates on the number of Band 2 NHS vacancies in (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) the UK.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people suffering from Long Covid aged under 50 will be eligible for the autumn covid-19 booster vaccine.

Neil O'Brien: On 15 July 2022, the Government accepted the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice to offer a COVID-19 booster vaccine this autumn to those at higher risk of severe COVID-19, including adults aged 50 years old and over and individuals aged five to 49 years old in a clinical risk group. The clinical risk groups for COVID-19 vaccination are defined in the UK Health Security Agency’s ‘Green Book’ on vaccines and immunisation which includes conditions which evidence suggests put individuals at greater risk of severe outcomes, including hospitalisation or death. Post-COVID-19 Syndrome is not currently identified by the JCVI as one of these conditions. NHS England has established a network of specialist clinics for those experiencing the long term effects of COVID-19 infection and provides information and advice on the ‘Your COVID Recovery’ platform.

General Practitioners: Training

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of overseas-born trainee GPs who leave the NHS at the end of their GP training.

Neil O'Brien: No specific estimate has been made, as the information requested is not held centrally.

Prescriptions: Miscarriage

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 71350 on Prescriptions: Miscarriage, whether a maternity exemption certificate can be backdated by one month in the situation whereby a woman has already miscarried when the application is submitted to cover the period in which she was pregnant.

Maria Caulfield: The National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015 provide that a maternity exemption certificate must be backdated one month before the date on which the application is received by the NHS Business Services Authority. The application process requires that a health care professional, such as a midwife or a general practitioner, must authorise the application to confirm the patient’s pregnancy and expected due date. The NHS Business Services Authority must then issue the certificate on this basis.

Meat Products: Nitrates

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help ensure the reduction of added nitrates in bacon and ham; and if he will make a statement.

Neil O'Brien: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) works with the food industry to ensure that nitrites and nitrates are used at the lowest possible levels to achieve its technological function without affecting the safety of the food.The maximum legal limits for nitrates are based on scientific evaluation and monitored through risk-based compliance checks. There are no plans to reduce the levels of nitrates in processed pork products. The FSA will seek independent scientific advice should new credible studies on nitrates emerge in addition to existing evidence, to determine whether further action on authorised food additives is necessary.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation entitled SEND review: right support, right place, right time, which closed on 22 July 2022.

Claire Coutinho: The department is currently reviewing the feedback received during the consultation period. The department is using this feedback, along with continued engagement with the system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families.The department will continue to support the system in the immediate term to deliver change and continue to improve the experience and outcomes for children and young people with special education needs and disabilities, and those who need alternative provision.

Department for Education: Recruitment

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department spent on external recruitment consultants in 2021.

Nick Gibb: The information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Gambling: Children

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on what legal basis the personal information and exam results of up to 28 million children were made available to gambling firms; who made the decision to make this information available; and what the legal limitations are on the provision of such information.

Nick Gibb: Examination result information was not made available to gambling firms. A third party made the decision to use their lawful access to the Learning Records Service without discussion with, or the agreement of, the Department. This was outside their conditions of use. The third party used the system to verify the age that individuals had given to gambling firms. When their actions became known, the Department immediately removed their access to the system. The Department reported itself to the Information Commissioner’s Office and has continued to work with them since to improve Departmental processes.

Free School Meals

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of rises in the number of pupils (a) eligible and (b) in receipt of free school meals.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of thresholds for free school meals; and what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on those thresholds.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the level of prevalence of teachers bringing food into schools for pupils.

Nick Gibb: The latest published statistics show that around 1.9 million pupils are claiming free school meals (FSM). This equates to 22.5% of all pupils, up from 20.8% in 2021. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through the Universal Infant Free School Meal policy, 37.5% of school children are now provided with FSM.The Department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other government Departments to provide support. The Department will continue to keep FSM eligibility under review to ensure that these meals are supporting those who most need them. In setting a threshold, the Department believes that the current level, which enables children to benefit from FSM, while remaining affordable and deliverable for schools, is the right one.The Department does not collect data on food brought into schools, nor consumed on school premises, other than FSM.

Teachers: Qualifications

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers have (a) the Qualification in Career Guidance, (b) the Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development, and (c) both of those qualifications.

Nick Gibb: The Department’s careers statutory guidance recommends that all careers professionals are qualified to a minimum of level 6 and that schools and colleges consult the UK Register of Careers Professionals, held by the Career Development Institute, when employing a careers professional. As at May 2022, over 1,800 people were on the register.Information on the state-funded school workforce in England, including the Level 4 and above (post-A level equivalent) qualifications held by teachers, is published in the annual ‘School Workforce in England’ national statistic. The information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.As at November 2021, there were 23 teachers who reported a qualification with the subject Careers Guidance, and none who reported holding the Level 6 Diploma in Career Guidance and Development.

Pupils: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will take steps to help offer mental health support to child refugees in schools.

Claire Coutinho: The government is committed to improving mental health and wellbeing outcomes.Schools are not specialist mental health providers, if child refugees experience symptoms of poor mental health, evidence-based treatment should be accessed via their general practitioner or local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services.However, schools have an important role to play in identifying and responding to emerging or existing mental health issues, whether that be by providing targeted pastoral support, such as in school counselling, or ensuring referrals are made to external specialist support.The department provides mental health and behaviour guidance to support education staff to identify children in need of extra mental health support, which includes working with external agencies. The guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-and-behaviour-in-schools--2.The department has also published guidance and signposting to external sources of mental health and wellbeing support for teachers, school staff and school leaders. This information can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/mental-health-and-wellbeing-support-in-schools-and-colleges.To support children and young people arriving from Ukraine, the department has published a resource pack signposting schools and colleges to offers of support for Ukrainian children and young people which covered mental health and wellbeing, amongst other areas including learning English. This information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/helping-ukrainian-students-in-schools.To support the effective use of training and guidance on supporting and promoting mental health in schools, the department is funding all schools and colleges in England to train senior mental health leads who can put in place whole school approaches to mental health and wellbeing. This approach should encompass robust processes for identifying students, or specific groups, who need additional mental health support. Two thirds of schools and colleges will have been able to access funding by April 2023, backed by £10 million in the 2022/23 financial year. Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/senior-mental-health-lead-training.The department is also increasing the number of Mental Health Support Teams in schools and colleges, which provide early intervention for those experiencing mild to moderate mental health issues and facilitate smoother access to specialist services for those who require additional support, which may include child refugees. Further information is available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/mental-health/cyp/trailblazers/.

Schools: Admissions

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in England were admitted to schools based on their faith in the last 12 months.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pupils in England were admitted to state-funded schools because of their talent in (a) music, (b) drama, and (c) dance in each of the last five years.

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing legislative restrictions on the establishment of new grammar schools.

Nick Gibb: The Department maintains a diversity of provision, including grammar schools and schools designated with a religious character, ‘faith schools’, within the English school system.The Department does not collect data on the number of children admitted to schools under specific admission criteria, such as aptitude or ability in music, drama or dance or on the basis of their faith.

Children in Care: Siblings

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 75936 on Children in Care: Siblings, how many siblings and half siblings were split up under local authority care in each of the last three years.

Claire Coutinho: The department does not hold this information centrally. Local authorities provide information on looked after children through the SSDA903 annual return. However, this does not include information on the family background of looked after children, including whether they have siblings and/or half-siblings.

Special Educational Needs

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the report entitled SEND review: Right Support, Right Place, Right Time, published in March 2022, whether he plans to implement that review's proposal to introduce a pre-defined list of educational settings for families with disabled children to choose from.

Claire Coutinho: In the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities and Alernative Provision Green Paper the department set out a proposal to provide a tailored list of settings to support parents and carers to express an informed preference for a suitable placement. We are continuing to explore options that build on the benefits identified through the recent consultation, and address the challenges set out in the Green Paper.The consultation closed on 22 July 2022. We are currently reviewing the feedback and using this along with continued engagement with the system, to inform the next stage of delivering improvements for children, young people and their families.

Pupils: Attendance

Taiwo Owatemi: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will revise the rules according to which local authorities can fine both parents separately for taking a child out of school during term time, in order to introduce an exception for those cases where the parents are divorced or separated and the decision to take the child out of school has been taken by one parent alone.

Nick Gibb: All parents of compulsory school aged children who are registered at school have a legal duty to ensure their children attend school regularly.Local Authorities are independent prosecutors, each covered by their own Code of Conduct for issuing penalty notices, in line with the Education (Penalty Notices) (England) Regulations 2007. Where attendance legal intervention is used, decisions are made on an individual case-by-case basis by the relevant Local Authority.All parents, including where parents do not live together, can commit an offence under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996 and may be issued a penalty notice if it is in accordance with their Local Authority’s Code of Conduct for issuing penalty notices. Local Authorities must not act in a way that is irrational in the particular case, taking into consideration the individual family circumstances. Parents can write to their Local Authority if they believe that they have been incorrectly issued with a penalty notice.

Education: Access

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support lifelong learning and access to education in the UK.

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the widest possible access to education in the UK.

Robert Halfon: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.The government is investing £1.6 billion through the National Skills Fund over the next three years, to help adults gain the skills that are sought by employers. The fund will make sure adults, at any age, can upskill to reach their potential and transform their lives.As part of this investment, we have introduced the Free Courses for Jobs scheme, which enables learners without a level 3 qualification, or learners with any qualification level who are unemployed or earning below the National Living Wage, to gain a level 3 qualification for free.Those who want to upskill in their role, are looking for a job, or are changing career, can take part in Skills Bootcamps. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and fast-track to an interview with an employer. Skills Bootcamps are currently available across England, offering training in digital, technical (including engineering and manufacturing), construction, logistics (HGV driving), and green skills (including heat pump engineer and electric vehicle charging point installation), and have the potential to transform the skills landscape for adults and employers.We are on track to deliver 16,000 Skills Bootcamps training places in the 2021/22 financial year. The department will continue to significantly expand Skills Bootcamps further following the announcement of up to £550 million additional funding across financial years 2022 to 2025, including up to £150 million in financial year 2022/23.The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). The AEB fully funds or co-funds skills provision for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. In the academic year 2022/23 this funding totals £1.34 billion.Apprenticeships are accessible to people of all ages and can support people to re-train and upskill throughout their lives. We are increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25.In November 2021, the department issued guidance to the Office for Students, tasking them to refocus the access and participation regime to create a system that supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds throughout their education. Higher education providers should be working meaningfully with schools to ensure that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are encouraged and supported to achieve the highest possible grades to succeed, whether that be an apprenticeship or higher technical qualification, or a course at another university.

Vocational Guidance

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people are registered on the UK Register of Career Development Professionals as of 1 November 2022.

Robert Halfon: There were 1,810 people on the UK Register of Career Development Professionals as at 1 November 2022.

Apprentices: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices are employed in businesses in Sefton Central constituency.

Robert Halfon: In the 2020/21 academic year, there were 510 apprenticeship starts in Sefton Central constituency. Data for the full 2021/22 academic year is not yet available, but partial year data shows that between August 2021 and April 2022, 460 apprenticeship starts were reported. These statistics are based on the home postcode of the learner. The department does not publish based on business location.Further statistics covering apprenticeships can be found in the department’s apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Apprentices: Sefton Central

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many businesses support apprenticeship schemes in Sefton Central constituency.

Robert Halfon: The department does not hold the requested data.

Sixth Form Colleges: Investment

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there will be further investment funds, such as a new Post-16 capacity fund, for sixth form colleges to bid from in future.

Robert Halfon: Sixth-form colleges have been eligible to bid into all rounds of the Post-16 Capacity Fund to date, for a share of £238 million to increase the capacity of their estate due to demographic increases in the local 16-19 population. The current bidding round, which will distribute funding secured in this spending review period, closes on 11 November 2022.Funding beyond this spending review period is subject to consideration in future spending reviews.Sixth-form colleges are also eligible to bid to the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) for estate expansion projects. The CIF 2023/24 application round is currently open for applications, and eligible sixth form colleges have been invited to submit an application.

Mature Students: Loans

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the age limit for student loans for master's degrees on the ability of people over the age of 60 to (a) pursue their interests and values in their career and (b) contribute to (i) society, (ii) culture and (iii) the economy.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the age limit for student loans for master’s degrees to 70 years old.

Robert Halfon: The student finance system has to be both fair and sustainable, and ensure that costs are split fairly between graduates and the taxpayer.In determining the current postgraduate master’s loan eligibility criteria, the department consulted widely on the proposed terms of the new loan and considered its duty under the Equality Act 2010. A copy of that analysis can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526274/bis-16-289-postgraduate-masters-loans-equality-analysis.pdf.The upper age limit of 60 years old was put in place to ensure that the overall scheme remains affordable to the taxpayer and offers value for money. The age limit is designed to restrict eligibility to those statistically most likely to continue in long-term employment and be able to repay the loan. The department believes that the current age restriction strikes the right balance between addressing the repayment challenge of older students and encouraging a broad range of individuals to undertake postgraduate study.The department is closely monitoring take up of the loan and the response by students, the sector and employers. However, at present there are no plans to amend the loan eligibility criteria or undertake any impact assessments.

Overseas Students

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to update the International Student Strategy 2019.

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to designate Europe as a priority market in any upcoming adjustments to the International Student Strategy.

Robert Halfon: In February 2021 and in May 2022, the Department for Education and the Department for International Trade jointly published updates to the International Education Strategy. These re-committed to the ambitions to increase the value of our education exports to £35 billion per year, and to continue to host at least 600,000 international students in the UK per year, both by 2030.The target to attract 600,000 international students per year to study here has already been reached, and we are now focusing on bringing in £35 billion from our education exports by 2030.The February 2021 update also confirmed Europe as an important regional market for Sir Steve Smith, the International Education Champion, who was appointed to develop strong international relationships in new and established markets.

Apprentices: Taxation

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was paid by state-funded schools in England in apprenticeship levy contributions, in each year since 2017 for which data is available.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of apprenticeship levy contributions paid by state-funded schools in England was returned to the Exchequer in each year since 2017 for which data is available.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much was paid by (a) voluntary-aided schools, (b) other maintained schools, (c) single-school academy trusts and (d) multi-academy trusts in England in apprenticeship levy contributions in each year since 2017 for which data is available.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of apprenticeship levy contributions paid by (a) voluntary-aided schools, (b) other maintained schools, (c) single-school academy trusts and (d) multi-academy trusts in England was returned to the Exchequer in each year since 2017 for which data is available.

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of (a) single-school academy trusts, (b) multi-academy trusts, (c) foundation schools and (d) voluntary-aided schools were liable to pay the apprenticeship levy in each year since 2017 for which data is available.

Robert Halfon: The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training.As employers, schools with a pay bill of £3 million or more will pay the apprenticeship levy, which is reported to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) via the Pay As You Earn scheme. HMRC hold the data on levy contributions and publish data on tax receipts here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.While levy-paying employers access their levy funding through their apprenticeship service accounts, we do not record their industry, sector or organisation type when they register an apprenticeship service account. For this reason, we are unable to provide data that shows the amount of levy funds entering the accounts of employers in the schools sector, or the proportion of that total which has been spent.Information on the department’s annual apprenticeship budget and spend for 2021/22 is set out in the ESFA’s annual report and accounts: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-and-skills-funding-agency-esfa-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-to-2022.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoner Escapes

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 7 November to Question 74848 on Prisoner Escapes, what the category was of the serving offence of convicted offenders still at large; and what the category was of the indicted offence of not convicted offenders still at large.

Damian Hinds: Please see the below table for a breakdown of prisoners still at large at 1st May of following financial year, by security category at time of escape 2017-18 to 2021-22. Financial Year 2017-1832018-1942019-2052020-2162021-227Number of escapes13916512  Of which, number still at large00315  Number still at large by security category at time of escape: Cat C00100Unsentenced800002Uncategorised900213  Source: HMPPS Incident Reporting System.1) A prisoner escapes when they are able to pass beyond the perimeter of a secure prison or the control of escorting staff. This may involve overcoming physical security restraints such as a wall or fence; locks, bolts or bars; a secure vehicle; handcuffs; or the direct supervision of escorting staff.2) Includes escapes from establishments, HMPPS escorts and contractor escorts.3) Still at large as at 1st May 2018.4) Still at large as at 1st May 2019.5) Still at large as at 1st May 2020.6) Still at large as at 1st May 2021.7) Still at large as at 1st May 2022.8) Escaped when the prisoner had received their conviction but awaiting sentencing.9) Escaped when the prisoner was either on remand or unconvicted, and therefore not categorised.

Prison and Probation Service: Sick Leave

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the impact of staff absences as a result of work-related stress in the (a) prison service and (b) probation service.

Damian Hinds: The management of, and support for, His Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) staff absent due to stress at work and other mental health related absences is a priority for the Prison & Probation Service.The quarterly HMPPS workforce statistics publication covers staffing information, including the working days lost due to sickness absence.Working days lost due to work-related stress within the Prison and Probation Service is shown in table 1 below.Table 1: Staff absences due to work-related stress in the Prison Service1 and Probation Service, 12 months to 30 June 2022. Total working days lost due to work-related stressAverage staff in postAverage working days lost per person2Prison Service12,27035,8670.1Probation Service3,41,37317,4600.1 Stress accounted for 13.2% of all sicknesses in the 12 months to 30 June 2022 1. Includes the Youth Custody Service (YCS) which was created in April 2017 to oversee day-to-day management of the under 18s young people’s estate. The Youth Custody Estate includes the following young offender institutions: Cookham Wood, Feltham, Werrington, and Wetherby. The YCS also initially included the Medway Secure Training Centre which closed in March 2020.2. Average working days lost per member of staff is calculated as number of working days lost to sickness divided by the average number of full-time equivalent staff for a year.3. In the quarter to Dec 2019, over 300 staff in Wales were transferred from privately run Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) to HMPPS, into the new ‘NPS Wales UM Transition’ and new Approved Premises teams created.4. In late June 2021, more than 7,000 staff from private sector Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRC) came together with probation staff already in the public sector to form the new Probation Service. HMPPS works hard to support workforce mental health and wellbeing. This includes a comprehensive Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), that provides the workforce access to confidential support & counselling services. This is in addition to the organisation’s Occupational Health Service that supports staff with medical advice and signposting, and part of HMPPS’ commitment to ensuring our staff feel supported in their roles.Furthermore, Mental Health Allies (MHAs) have been put in place across HMPPS to support workforce mental health. MHAs provide confidential support to staff, provide reassurance and signposting, as well as raising awareness of mental health & challenge stigma surrounding mental ill health. The allies aim to signpost and increase awareness of various support routes for staff (i.e. EAP/Charity for Civil Servants etc).HMPPS also recognise that our workforce undertake roles on the frontline and are have to deal with situations that can be traumatic. The Trauma Risk Management Service (TRiM) is a focused peer-to-peer support system operated by Prisons that aims provides support to staff who have experienced a traumatic incident.HMPPS continuously manages its overall staffing level resources across the business taking into account a number of factors including staff sickness, as well as absence created for other reasons such as staff attendance at training.

Prisons: Coronavirus

Ellie Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of how many prisons have returned to full regimes post covid.

Damian Hinds: Regimes in prisons and youth custody establishments are not currently significantly affected by Covid-19 restrictions.All public sector prisons have systems in place for the day to day management of staff resources and regime delivery, to ensure that regimes are Safe, Decent, Secure, Resilient and Sustainable. The majority of prisons are delivering a full or near full regime. Some prisons have a reduced, but sustainable level of regime delivery due in part to resourcing pressures.The ‘Operational Resourcing and Stability Panel’ meets weekly to provide support to those prisons with the most acute resourcing pressures affecting their ability to deliver full regimes, where it is impacting on the stability of the prison.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements: Israel

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many civil servants are currently involved in trade negotiations with Israel.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the cost is to her Department of her Department’s negotiations with Israel on a free trade agreement to date.

Nigel Huddleston: The Department for International Trade (DIT) is currently delivering eight Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, and as of September 2022, had approximately 460 staff working in the Trade Negotiations Group. It is not possible to comment on specific negotiations as the number of staff working on each FTA changes depending on the stage and scale of the deal, and to maximise efficiency. Staff also work across multiple negotiations. DIT allocated £46.3m in 2022-23 for the negotiation and implementation of FTAs, however, it is not possible to identify funding for individual FTAs.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps she is taking to support Israel and Palestine relations during free trade negotiations.

Nigel Huddleston: The UK greatly values our bilateral trade relationships with both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Although the focus of the UK-Israel Free Trade agreement is trade with Israel, we will continue to build upon our commercial links with the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including through the Trade Facilitation and Customs Support programme (Tasdeer). This is a 3-year, £15 million programme funded by UK ODA, seeking to improve trade performance In the Occupied Palestinian Territories with an integrated focus on gender and social inclusion, supporting inclusive growth.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on which dates she has met Israeli representatives to discuss a free trade agreement between both counties.

Nigel Huddleston: Officials and Ministers are in regular contact with their Israeli counterparts regarding our existing free trade agreement and to discuss negotiations for the upgraded trade agreement. UK negotiators travelled to Jerusalem for the first round of negotiations on 12 – 20 September. We look forward to the next round of negotiations in due course.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what the UK’s objectives are in their trade negotiations with Israel.

Nigel Huddleston: On 20 July, negotiations were launched between the UK and Israel for an upgraded, innovation-focused Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that supported trade in services, digital and procurement. As part of this, our strategic approach to the negotiations was published on GOV.UK. This document sets out the UK’s key objectives in these negotiations. An upgraded FTA with Israel will modernise our trade relations with a growing economy, whose services sector has grown by over 45% in the last decade, and whose total imports are expected to double by 2035.

Trade Agreements: Israel

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, by what date she expects a free trade agreement with Israel to be concluded.

Nigel Huddleston: We launched negotiations for an upgraded Free Trade Agreement with Israel in July and held the first round of technical discussions in Jerusalem on 12 – 20 September. The Government is clear that in negotiations we will not sacrifice quality for speed. We already have an existing deal providing tariff-free trade for 99% of the value of current goods trade. This upgraded agreement is fundamentally about adding ambitious coverage of services and procurement for a modern digital economy. We will only sign when we have a deal that is fair, reciprocal, and ultimately in the best interests of the British people and the economy.

Exports: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what recent discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on increasing Northern Irish exports by the end of 2023.

Andrew Bowie: Three Department for International Trade (DIT) Ministers have visited Northern Ireland since June 2022 and held bilateral discussions with the then Minister for the Economy, Gordon Lyons MLA. Discussions focused on the roll-out of DIT services to Northern Ireland businesses to help boost exports, including the UK Export Academy and UK Export Finance. My department is working in partnership with the Department for the Economy and Invest Northern Ireland to complement services available to businesses to support increasing international exports.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Afghanistan: Refugees

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, (a) when and (b) how British Council contractors in Afghanistan eligible under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be relocated to the UK.

Leo Docherty: Once initial security and biographic checks are completed on British Council contractors who are assessed as eligible, they can start the relocation process. Travelling from Afghanistan can be challenging, particularly for those who are undocumented. The UK government continues to work, including with likeminded partners and countries neighbouring Afghanistan, on resettlement issues and to support safe passage for eligible Afghans. We do not comment on the details of specific routes for individuals who are eligible for resettlement.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Mr John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many British Council contractors in Afghanistan who submitted their Expressions of Interest via the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme have received confirmation of their eligibility; and when he expects the remainder to do so.

Leo Docherty: Under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) Pathway 3, the FCDO received over 11,400 Expressions of Interest (EOIs) before the window to submit EOIs closed on 15 August 2022. We are in the process of assessing their eligibility and have started notifying individuals of the outcome, and contacting those eligible with details of the next steps. We are working to process cases as soon as is practicably possible. However, we are not yet in a position to provide numbers for each of the 3 cohorts who meet the eligibility criteria. In the first year, we will offer up to 1500 places to eligible at-risk British Council contractors, GardaWorld contractors, and Chevening alumni, including their eligible family members.

Egypt: Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has plans to review the UK's funding for Egypt's security bodies via the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund in light of (a) the continued refusal to release Alaa Abd El-Fattah and other political prisoners in Egypt and (b) other human rights violations in that country.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will publish the Overseas Security and Justice Assessments for Conflict, Stability and Security Fund programmes operating in Egypt.

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund Portfolio Board last met to discuss human rights risks in Egypt.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Conflict, Stability and Security (CSSF) Fund programme in Egypt promotes the participation of women and girls, quality and accessible education for all, inclusive governance, and support to refugees. It does not provide funding to the Egyptian security services. The CSSF Portfolio Board regularly reviews risk across all countries in which we have a programme. Human rights issues are considered as part of this and in this context, the Board discussed the situation in several countries, including Egypt, at the last board meeting in October. Overseas Security and Justice Assessments (OSJAs) are not published.Egypt is a human rights priority country for the UK. Our strong bilateral relationship allows us to raise human rights issues frankly with the Egyptian government, both in private and public. The Prime Minister met with Egyptian President Sisi on 7 November to register his concern for Mr. Adb El-Fattah's welfare and expectation the case will be resolved quickly. The UK also issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in September calling on Egypt to ensure independent civil society, human rights defenders and media are able to operate freely.

Migration: Treaties

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the governments of (a) Belize, (b) Peru, (c) Paraguay and (d) any other country on potential bilateral agreements with the UK on migration.

David Rutley: Our world-leading Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda will help break the business model of criminal people smuggling gangs and save lives. We are committed to working with a range of international partners to tackle the global migration crisis and are always in talks with a range of partners about how we can work together.

Nepal: Migrant Workers

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Memorandum of Understanding on nurses between the Government and the Government of Nepal on the Nepalese public health system.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Memorandum of Understanding to recruit up to 100 Nepali nurses to work in the UK was agreed jointly by the Government of Nepal with the Department of Health and Social Care. It is designed to give the Government of Nepal control over the number of nurses recruited and maximise the benefits to Nepal that a formal, ethical and high-skilled migration opportunity can bring. The prospect of an international career has the potential to attract more nurses into the sector in Nepal. A pilot phase will ensure both governments understand how the partnership is progressing.

China: Nuclear Power

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business regarding on Chinese investment in British nuclear projects.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Foreign Secretary continues to work closely with the Secretary of State for Business and our officials are in regular discussions on these issues. We welcome overseas investment into the UK's nuclear sector, and value the important role international partners have in our current nuclear programmes and potential new projects.  Nuclear power has a key role to play as we work to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and exposure to volatile global gas prices. All investment involving critical infrastructure (which includes nuclear) is subject to thorough scrutiny and must satisfy our robust legal, regulatory and national security requirements. The powers we have through the National Security and Investment Act will further enhance our ability to intervene if required.

Development Aid: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK government’s strategy for international development, published on 16 May 2022, if he will make it his policy to increase international climate finance allocated to programmes which reverse biodiversity loss and promote food security, to deliver a nature positive approach.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is delivering on our commitment in the International Development Strategy to provide £3 billion of our £11.6 billion International Climate Finance for protecting, restoring and sustainably managing nature. This includes developing sustainable food systems to avert food security crises in the future and to address climate change and biodiversity loss as fundamental drivers of long-term food insecurity.The International Development Strategy commits to 'taking steps to ensure UK bilateral Official Development Assistance becomes 'nature positive', aligning with the international goal to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and the post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, once agreed.'

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to encourage other countries to set up a loss and damage fund at COP27.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: At COP26, the UK strongly supported the establishment of a 'Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage' to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage, in which we participate actively. The Santiago Network (a platform for catalysing technical assistance on loss and damage for developing countries) was also progressed at COP26 through agreement on functions and funding. The UK is actively engaging on Loss and Damage at COP27 and on 7 November announced £5 million in funding to support the set up and development of the Santiago Network.

Climate Change: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) prioritise climate action in and (b) direct more climate finance to fragile contexts to achieve the priorities outlined in the Integrated Review to build resilience overseas by tackling climate change and biodiversity loss.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is a global leader in driving more effective approaches to crises and preventing and anticipating future shocks, including climate shocks. We are delivering on our commitment of £11.6 billion International Climate Finance, and since 2011 we have supported 95 million people to better adapt to the effects of climate change. At COP27 we are encouraging collective action to increase access to adaptation finance in the most climate vulnerable countries to meet their adaptation and resilience needs. The Prime Minister announced at COP27 that the UK will triple our funding for adaptation from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025.

Food Supply

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure global food security for the long term.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is working with our international partners to address the underlying causes and promote robust food systems in low-income countries shaped by our Agriculture Development Policy (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfids-conceptual-framework-on-agriculture). Over 15 programmes in Africa and Asia aim to improve income and productivity of smallholder farmers through better access to market, finance and sustainable practices. The Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) promote innovations, investment and businesses that create jobs and boost food production. UK funding for agricultural research and development is promoting new food and agriculture technologies, including new crop varieties that are nutritious, higher-yielding and resilient to climate change.

Climate Change: Compensation

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether the Government plans to pay loss and damage reparations to developing countries due to the impact of climate change on those countries.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: At COP26, the UK strongly supported the establishment of a 'Glasgow Dialogue on Loss and Damage' to discuss the arrangements for the funding of activities to avert, minimise and address loss and damage, in which we participate actively. The Santiago Network (a platform for catalysing technical assistance on loss and damage for developing countries) was also progressed at COP26 through agreement on functions and funding. The UK is actively engaging on Loss and Damage at COP27 and on 7 November announced £5 million for the Santiago Network to fund its set up and development.

Qatar: Conditions of Employment

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what representations he has made the Qatari authorities to encourage them to fulfil their promises to continue improving workers’ rights following the FIFA World Cup 2022.

David Rutley: We welcome the steps Qatar has taken to date on workers' rights, with the priority now the full implementation and enforcement of those reforms. We encourage continued close collaboration between the Government of Qatar and the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the second phase of their technical cooperation programme. The UK Migration and Modern Slavery Envoy visited Doha on 9 October for a range of meetings to discuss how the UK can partner with Qatar and the ILO to support further progress in 2023. We look forward to a sustained partnership that supports continued advancement on this important issue translating into tangible progress for migrant workers.

Qatar: Migrant Workers

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to call on Qatar to provide full compensation and other remedies to migrant workers and their families who suffered (a) death or injury, (b) wage theft or (c) debt from illegal recruitment fees while preparing the FIFA World Cup 2022.

David Rutley: We welcome the steps Qatar has taken to date on workers' rights, with the priority now the full implementation and enforcement of those reforms. We encourage continued close collaboration between the Government of Qatar and the International Labour Organization (ILO) during the second phase of their technical cooperation programme. The UK Migration and Modern Slavery Envoy visited Doha on 9 October for a range of meetings to discuss how the UK can partner with Qatar and the ILO to support further progress in 2023. We look forward to a sustained partnership that supports continued advancement on this important issue translating into tangible progress for migrant workers.

Qatar: Human Rights

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make representations to his Qatari counterpart on the release from prison of (a) Abdullah Ibhais and (b) Hazza and Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri.

David Rutley: We are aware of reporting on the cases of Abdullah Ibhais and Hazza and Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda. We consistently underline the importance of compliance with international human rights obligations in discussions on human rights with Qatari authorities at all levels, including ministerial channels.

Brazil: Elections

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of reports of protests outside military bases and headquarters in Brasilia and in Brazilian states following the election victory of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

David Rutley: The UK has consistently made clear its firm hope that the entire country of Brazil, including all candidates and political parties, respect core democratic principles, electoral processes and the election result.  The Prime Minister and I publicly congratulated President-elect Luis Inácio Lula da Silva following his election victory. We look forward to the UK and Brazil working together as we continue to strengthen our historic partnership.

Syria: Politics and Government

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to work with the international community to address the recent findings of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria that torture and ill-treatment in detention remain systemic in that country.

David Rutley: The UN Commission of Inquiry, mandated by the UK-led Human Rights Council Resolution, has detailed that torture and ill-treatment continues in detention centres across Syria. We strongly condemn these violations. We have contributed over £14 million to gather evidence and assist victims of human rights violations since 2012. We have also supported Syrian doctors to produce over 360 forensic medical reports, which can act as court-standard evidence of sexual violence and torture. We use our position at the UN Security Council to draw international attention to violations, including within prisons, most recently at the UNSC session on Syria in October.

Development Aid: Climate Change

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has ringfenced spending on climate change mitigation and adaptation within the overseas development assistance budget for financial year 2022-23, at the same levels as 2021-22; and if he will make it his policy to ringfence funding at the same level for financial year 2023-24.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government committed to doubling International Climate Finance to £11.6 billion from 2021/22. It is not our policy to ringfence funding by financial year because of the need to retain flexibility and respond to real world events.

Iron and Steel: Russia

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to apply immediate sanctions on all steel that is melted and poured in Russia, regardless of whether it has been re-rolled in a third country.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government do not speculate on specific future sanctions, as to do so could reduce their impact. We will continue the pressure against Putin and his regime, until Ukraine prevails or Putin ends his war of choice. We have already prohibited the import, acquisition, supply and delivery of certain iron and steel products from Russia on 14 April 2022, and the measures were extended on 15 July to include ancillary services relating to the trade in these products.

Paraguay: Asylum

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Paraguayan counterpart on the processing of asylum claims by undocumented migrants who attempt to enter the UK.

David Rutley: Our world-leading Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda will help break the business model of criminal people smuggling gangs and save lives. We are committed to working with a range of international partners to tackle the global migration crisis, and are always in talks with a range of partners about how we can work together. The UK continues to work closely with Paraguay on a range of issues which matter to us both.

Gaza: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2022 to Question 69582 on Gaza: Israel, what response the British Embassy in Tel Aviv has received to its representations to the Israeli authorities on the importance of regularised access to healthcare for people in Gaza; and what progress has been made following those representations.

David Rutley: I refer the honourable Member to the answer given on 1 November 2022 to Question 69582, the answer can be found on the Q&A web pages on https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-10-24/69582

Gaza: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2022 to Question 69580 on Gaza: Israel, if he will make representations to his Israeli counterpart on holding an independent investigation into the airstrike on a three-storey residential building in Gaza on 6 August 2022, and the subsequent (a) deaths of seven people including 13-year-old Mohammad Iyad Hassouna and (b) injury of 35 people including 18 children.

David Rutley: I refer the honourable Member to the answer given on 1 November 2022 to Question 69580, the answer can be found on the Q&A web pages on https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-10-24/69580

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the United Nations on the sovereignty of the British Indian Overseas Territory.

David Rutley: The Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs has not had recent discussions with the United Nations on the sovereignty of the British Indian Overseas Territory/Chagos Archipelago.

Palestinians: Health Services

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has held discussions with his counterparts in Israel on providing access for Palestinians to (a) cancer and (b) other medical treatment outside of the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

David Rutley: The British Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the importance of regularised access to healthcare with the Israeli authorities. We recognise that under International Humanitarian Law, Israel, as the occupying power, has a duty of ensuring and maintaining public health to the fullest extent of the means available to it. The wounded and ill in Gaza and the West Bank should be able to access the urgent medical care they need.

British Indian Ocean Territory: Sovereignty

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the sovereignty of the British Indian Overseas Territory.

David Rutley: The FCDO and MOD Secretaries of State, Ministers and officials are in regular contact on a range of issues, including the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago.

Commonwealth: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to strengthen relations with Commonwealth partners.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK is working with our Commonwealth partners to deliver on the commitments made at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Kigali. We want to see a Commonwealth which delivers greater benefits for all member states across a range of policy priorities, including climate, human rights, health, education and security. We are building long-term partnerships on shared priorities such as on trade, where we have secured Free Trade Agreements (FTA) with Australia and New Zealand and are negotiating further FTAs with Canada and India. The UK has also secured Economic Partnerships Agreements covering 27 Commonwealth African, Caribbean and Pacific countries.

Climate Change: Finance

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to (a) support the call made by the UN Secretary General to double climate adaptation finance and (b) increase climate adaptation finance for programmes which safeguard food security for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The Prime Minister announced at COP27 that the UK will triple our funding for adaptation from £500 million in 2019 to £1.5 billion in 2025. Our funding will support the most vulnerable people in the developing world to adapt and build resilience to the impacts of climate change, including through programmes that seek to safeguard food security. Our recently published annual International Climate Finance (ICF) results show that since 2011 we have helped over 95 million people cope with the effects of climate change.

Ethiopia: Human Rights

Ms Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that the second phase of the investigations by the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia has full (a) access to all parties in Ethiopia and (b) funding.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK is strongly supporting all efforts to ensure accountability for violations and abuses, including by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission and the International Commission of Human Rights Experts on Ethiopia (ICHREE). The UK co-sponsored the December 2021 resolution at the Human Rights Council which established the Commission. We also co-sponsored the October 2022 resolution at the Human Rights Council to extend the Commission's mandate. We have urged all parties to cooperate with the Commission's investigation. The former Minister for Development raised this on several occasions with the Ethiopian Ambassador.

Ethiopia: Peace Negotiations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, brokered by the African Union on 2 November 2022, what steps he plans to take to help improve humanitarian access in the Tigray region; and whether he has made a recent assessment of the resources available to (a) the World Food Programme, (b) other humanitarian NGOs and (c) international organisations to provide humanitarian support in the Tigray region.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We welcome the recent agreement between the Ethiopian Government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front to end the conflict in northern Ethiopia. Over the last 18 months the UK has provided nearly £90 million to crisis affected communities throughout Ethiopia including those in Tigray. This funding has benefitted the UN's World Food Programme (WFP), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the Red Cross. The UN's Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan is currently 50 percent funded - $1.5 billion received against a total of $3 billion required - which includes the operations of WFP and NGOs in Tigray. This year, funding announced in October of £14 million will deliver support to 150,000 people in Tigray and other regions of Ethiopia.

Ethiopia: Peace Negotiations

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the Agreement for Lasting Peace through a Permanent Cessation of Hostilities between the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, brokered by the African Union on 2 November 2022, what steps he plans to take to help people access specialist support services for (a) sexual and reproductive health, (b) mental health, and (c) justice in Ethiopia’s regions.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: We welcome the recent agreement between the Ethiopian Government and Tigrayan authorities to end the conflict in northern Ethiopia. We hope that the agreement will urgently facilitate the delivery of specialist services including sexual reproductive health (SRH) and psychosocial support. In order for peace to be sustainable those responsible for attacks on civilians must be held to account. We stand ready to provide further support to the region building on the nearly £90 million in humanitarian aid the UK has provided to Ethiopia since November 2020. Recently announced £14 million package of humanitarian support, expected to reach up to 150,000 people in Ethiopia, will also provide mental health and psychosocial support to conflict affected communities and specialised support to survivors of gender-based violence.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of students who have been unable to accept (a) places on courses and (b) research positions due to delays in issuing Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificates; and if will he make a statement.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK takes its responsibility towards countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and advanced conventional military technology seriously. The Academic Technology Approval Scheme is a thorough, necessary and proportionate tool to protect UK research from misappropriation and divergence to military programmes of concern. The majority of applications are processed within published timescales and we continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has made a recent estimate of the average processing time of an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK takes its responsibility towards countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and advanced conventional military technology seriously. The Academic Technology Approval Scheme is a thorough, necessary and proportionate tool to protect UK research from misappropriation and divergence to military programmes of concern. The majority of applications are processed within published timescales and we continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme.

Ministry of Defence

Members: Correspondence

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he plans to respond to Question 66885 tabled on 19 October 2022 by the hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne.

James Heappey: I responded to the right hon. Member today.

China: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any NATO allies notified the Government of the involvement of former RAF pilots in training delivered to Chinese Armed Forces personnel at any point since 2015.

James Heappey: Whilst NATO and FIVE EYES partners have shared intelligence routinely on this matter, the UK has not received information about anyone who was not already the subject of investigation by UK Defence Counter Intelligence.

Intelligence Services: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the defence budget is spent on intelligence services.

Alex Chalk: The Defence Intelligence budget is reported to the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee and was £349 million for financial year 2020-21. The Ministry of Defence budget for that year was around £42 billion.

AWACS

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of whether the RAF's Airborne Early Warning and Control requires the purchase of further platforms.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 13 September 2022 to Question 48270.AWACS: Procurement (docx, 21.0KB)

Guided Weapons

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department next plans to replace its multiple-launch rocket systems; how many will be replaced; and what plans he has for them on retirement.

Alex Chalk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 October 2022, to Question 59444.Due to the planned recapitalisation of the multiple-launch rocket systems no retirement options are being considered.Artillery: Procurement (docx, 17.2KB)

France: Meteor Missiles

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had recent discussions with his French counterpart on the future of Meteor production in the UK.

Alex Chalk: Bilateral discussions on Meteor production are ongoing between officials. It is likely that Ministerial engagement on this issue will take place as part of wider bilateral discussions in due course.

Fleet Solid Support Ships and HMS Quorn: Harland and Wolff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has provided letters of comfort to Harland and Wolff in relation to the (a) HMS Quorn conversion and (b) Fleet Solid Support Ship contract.

Alex Chalk: No letters of comfort have been provided to Harland and Wolff in relation to the conversion of the former HMS Quorn, or to any of the companies involved in bidding for the Fleet Solid Support ship contract.

HMS Quorn: Harland and Wolff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether capital adequacy testing was undertaken by his Department on Harland & Wolff Appledore Ltd before the award of the HMS Quorn conversion contract.

Alex Chalk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor (Alec Shelbrooke) to Question 47376 on 20 September 2022.Harland and Wolff: Contracts (docx, 16.4KB)

HMS Quorn: Harland and Wolff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on what dates public money was paid to Harland & Wolff Appledore Ltd as part of the HMS Quorn conversion contract.

Alex Chalk: No UK public monies have been paid to Harland & Wolff Appledore Ltd as part of the former HMS Quorn conversion contract. The contract was novated to the Lithuanian Defence Materiel Authority on signature.

Asylum: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment has he made of the potential availability of his Department's (a) Single Living and (b) Family Accommodation for asylum seekers.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Formal requests received for Defence to assist with accommodation for asylum seekers are considered in line with Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA) principles. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is already making part of the estate available for humanitarian purposes. As part of its contribution to Op WARM WELCOME, Defence has made available up to 550 Service Family Accommodation properties for Local Authorities to lease to provide homes for Afghan families who have a defence connection and have been relocated to the UK legally through the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy.

China: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether any personnel from the Chinese Armed Forces that have provided training at UK military bases since 2010 have been involved in the recruitment of former UK Armed Forces personnel to train the Chinese Armed Forces.

James Heappey: The Ministry of Defence is not aware of any Chinese military personnel who have provided training at UK military bases since 2010. The recruitment of UK ex-Service pilots that we are aware of has not been conducted directly by Chinese military personnel or by its civil servants, but by a third-party training school.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy applicants registered with the British High Commission are currently awaiting a decision in Pakistan; and how many of those have been waiting for more than three months.

James Heappey: As of 10 November 2022, there are 19 individuals registered with the British High Commission in Pakistan who are awaiting an initial decision on their ARAP application. All of these applicants have been waiting over three months for a decision.Timelines for decision making can vary considerably due to numerous factors, including level of complexity of the case, level of documentation or the need to conduct checks with other Government Departments. We are working to process these applications as quickly as possible.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the maximum time is that Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy applicants should expect to wait in between updates about their application; and what steps he is taking to keep applicants informed of the progress on their applications.

James Heappey: All ARAP applications should be acknowledged at the point of submission. Applicant's may then be contacted to request additional information, before an eligibility decision is made. If found to be eligible, applicants will be asked for further information regarding their family members included in their application, for further required checks to be made.Unfortunately, it is not possible to advise the consistency with which these updates may occur, as the timeframes can vary considerably. This is due to numerous factors, including the initial amount of evidence received, level of complexity of the case, the need to conduct checks with other Government Departments, or the length of time it takes an applicant to respond to follow-up queries.

Estonia: Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when he expects the periodic deployment of helicopters to Estonia beginning in January 2023 to end.

James Heappey: The periodic deployment of helicopters to Estonia will continue as long as the security situation and NATO's plans require.

Estonia: Helicopters

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) Chinook and (b) Apache helicopters he plans to send to Estonia in 2023.

James Heappey: Between January and June 2023, we plan to send a total of three Chinook and four Apache helicopters (together with four Wildcats) to Estonia over separate deployments. The detail of UK helicopter deployments to Estonia beyond June remains subject to further planning.

Estonia: Armed Forces

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK troops he plans to send to Estonia from January 2023.

James Heappey: In addition to the circa 950 personnel on Operation CABRIT as the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group, a total of up to 1,120 additional personnel will be deployed to Estonia between January and June 2023. The detail of the UK's troop levels in Estonia beyond June remains subject to further planning.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when was the most recent meeting of the panel for decisions on the Leave outside the Immigration Rules applications for additional dependants of Afghan interpreters that fall under (a) Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy or (b) the Ex-gratia Scheme.

James Heappey: As of 10 November 2022, the date of the most recent decisions made on Leave Outside the Immigration Rules (LOTR) for additional family members (AFM) can be found below:9 November 202231 October 2022Due to data constraints, we are unable to breakdown LOTR decisions by job title. Therefore, the above dates reflect decisions made on LOTR for AFM for all eligible Afghans under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) scheme and Ex-Gratia scheme (EGS).

USA: Cybersecurity

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with its defence counterparts in the US on cyber defence capabilities.

James Heappey: The UK has a close and enduring security relationship with the US, and this applies as much to cyberspace as elsewhere. Defence personnel and Ministers routinely engage with US counterparts - at all levels - on issues relating to cyber defence, through bilateral and multilateral forums. UK Strategic Command recently worked with US Cyber Command and other partners on a joint operation to improve interoperability and strengthen cyber resilience.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what is the annual cost of running the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

James Heappey: The Annual cost of running the Sovereign Base Areas for the last three financial years (FY) is as follows: Cost in £ million FY2019-20FT2020-21FY2021-22FY2022-23 (Predicted)16.99119.84818.90720.584 These costs are for Administration only and do not include costs from other Ministry of Defence sections based in Cyprus such as British Forces Cyprus, Defence Infrastructure Organisation, Director Medical Services, Defence Digital, Director of Children’s Services, which directly/indirectly support the Administration.

Armoured Trials and Development Unit: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to increase staff numbers at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit.

James Heappey: There are currently no plans to increase core staff numbers at the Armoured Trials and Development Unit. The Army routinely reviews its structures to ensure it is delivering key outputs and, for delivery of key programmes, this often includes temporary augmentations from elsewhere in the Army.

Military Aircraft

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the total air mobility fleet size was in each month since March 2021, by (a) C-137, (b) C-130J and (c) A400M.

James Heappey: The total fleet size figures for the Globemaster C-17, Hercules C-130J and Atlas A400M fleets as at the first of the month for the period March 2021 to September 2022 are provided in the table below: MonthC-17C-130JA400M March 202181520April 202181520May 202181520June 202181520July 202181520August 202181520September 202181420October 202181420November 202181420December 202181420January 202281420February 202281420March 202281420April 202281420May 202281420June 202281420July 202281420August 202281420September 202281420

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many UK personnel are based on the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, broken down by Department.

James Heappey: The number of UK personnel permanently assigned to the British Sovereign Base Areas, as at 9 November 2022 is: Armed Forces2,217Civil Servants273Total2,490

RAF Troodos: Armed Forces

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which non-UK countries have personnel based at RAF Troodos in Cyprus; and how many personnel from each country are based there.

James Heappey: Aside from circa. 100 locally employed civilians there are no personnel permanently based at Troodos.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which US agencies have personnel based at the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; and at what grade or level are those personnel.

James Heappey: We do not propose to release details of US personnel participating in current or future operational activities.

Cyprus: Military Bases

Kenny MacAskill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which countries beside the UK have personnel based at the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia; and how many personnel from each of those countries are based there.

James Heappey: United States personnel have been stationed at RAF Akrotiri since 1974, when a monitoring operation in support of Middle East peacekeeping arrangements started. We do not propose to release the numbers of US personnel participating in current or future operational activities.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft: Working Hours

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of hours flown by P-8 pilots in the last year.

James Heappey: RAF Poseidon pilots are flying the necessary hours to achieve proficiency in their role and to grow the total size of the Force as it moves toward its Full Operating Capability.

British Indian Ocean Territory: National Security

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the British Indian Overseas Territory’s effect on the UK’s national security; and what assessment he has made of the potential implications for national security of those areas no longer being sovereign UK territory.

James Heappey: The joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia plays a crucial role in combating some of the most challenging threats to regional and international security, including those from terrorism, organised crime, instability, and piracy.The UK and Mauritius have decided to begin negotiations on the exercise of sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory/Chagos Archipelago. The UK and Mauritius have reiterated that any agreement between our two countries will ensure the continued effective operation of the joint UK/US military base on Diego Garcia.

Military Aircraft: Contracts

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the International Traffic in Arms Regulations compliance costs were for the (a) Protector, (b) Tomahawk, (c) AH-64 Apache, (d) F-35, (e) E-7 Wedgetail and (f) P-8 Poseidon programmes.

Alex Chalk: Compliance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and other foreign export control rules which may apply to the equipment and technology that the Ministry of Defence (MOD) procures, is an inherent and ongoing element built into regular programme management and operational activities. Therefore, its costs cannot be identified separately by the MOD.

HMS Quorn: Thales

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has provided to Thales for services related to the HMS Quorn conversion work as of 9 November 2022.

Alex Chalk: No funding has been provided to Thales for services related to refurbishment of the former HMS Quorn.

Department for Work and Pensions

Support for Mortgage Interest

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish a breakdown of the number of recipients of Support for Mortgage Interest by (a) constituency and (b) region.

Mims Davies: The table below shows the number of households with Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loan in payment, by region, for the latest quarter (March to May 2022). This comes from the latest published data on Support for Mortgage Interest and includes all cases in payment in Great Britain. Statistical disclosure control has been applied. RegionMarch to May 2022North East578North West1,880Yorkshire and The Humber1,015East Midlands929West Midlands1,208East of England1,080London1,423South East1,517South West1,221Wales924Scotland1,063Total 12,845  The table below shows the number of households with SMI loan in payment, by parliamentary constituency, for the latest quarter (March to May 2022). Statistical disclosure control has been applied to this table to avoid the release of confidential data where ".." denotes a nil or negligible number of claimants. Therefore, the total number of households with an SMI loan in payment may not sum due to the disclosure control applied.   Parliamentary ConstituencyNumber of households receiving an SMI payment in quarter March to May 2022  Aberavon26Aberconwy9Aberdeen North10Aberdeen South12Airdrie and Shotts24Aldershot21Aldridge-Brownhills22Altrincham and Sale West22Alyn and Deeside18Amber Valley7Angus5Arfon9Argyll and Bute9Arundel and South Downs20Ashfield27Ashford21Ashton-under-Lyne20Aylesbury15Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock18Banbury12Banff and Buchan9Barking30Barnsley Central18Barnsley East21Barrow and Furness26Basildon and Billericay25Basingstoke15Bassetlaw20Bath8Batley and Spen24Battersea15Beaconsfield7Beckenham15Bedford23Bermondsey and Old Southwark19Berwick-upon-Tweed5Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk10Bethnal Green and Bow17Beverley and Holderness17Bexhill and Battle22Bexleyheath and Crayford21Birkenhead37Birmingham, Edgbaston25Birmingham, Erdington36Birmingham, Hall Green41Birmingham, Hodge Hill41Birmingham, Ladywood19Birmingham, Northfield24Birmingham, Perry Barr23Birmingham, Selly Oak24Birmingham, Yardley53Bishop Auckland19Blackburn26Blackley and Broughton33Blackpool North and Cleveleys39Blackpool South48Blaenau Gwent21Blaydon16Blyth Valley15Bognor Regis and Littlehampton35Bolsover15Bolton North East10Bolton South East30Bolton West22Bootle38Boston and Skegness27Bosworth18Bournemouth East40Bournemouth West46Bracknell15Bradford East40Bradford South58Bradford West35Braintree12Brecon and Radnorshire8Brent Central21Brent North23Brentford and Isleworth17Brentwood and Ongar17Bridgend34Bridgwater and West Somerset20Brigg and Goole15Brighton, Kemptown34Brighton, Pavilion18Bristol East39Bristol North West21Bristol South25Bristol West12Broadland18Bromley and Chislehurst18Bromsgrove10Broxbourne35Broxtowe13Buckingham11Burnley22Burton13Bury North26Bury South26Bury St Edmunds23Caerphilly36Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross6Calder Valley19Camberwell and Peckham18Camborne and Redruth33Cambridge9Cannock Chase20Canterbury9Cardiff Central26Cardiff North24Cardiff South and Penarth49Cardiff West34Carlisle10Carmarthen East and Dinefwr16Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire21Carshalton and Wallington15Castle Point26Central Ayrshire27Central Devon15Central Suffolk and North Ipswich18Ceredigion14Charnwood22Chatham and Aylesford21Cheadle24Chelmsford16Chelsea and Fulham6Cheltenham11Chesham and Amersham8Chesterfield25Chichester8Chingford and Woodford Green25Chippenham21Chipping Barnet28Chorley26Christchurch22Cities of London and Westminster5City of Chester21City of Durham13Clacton45Cleethorpes33Clwyd South15Clwyd West20Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill32Colchester13Colne Valley22Congleton17Copeland10Corby24Coventry North East31Coventry North West27Coventry South18Crawley10Crewe and Nantwich17Croydon Central28Croydon North41Croydon South26Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East37Cynon Valley23Dagenham and Rainham19Darlington26Dartford24Daventry13Delyn34Denton and Reddish19Derby North16Derby South18Derbyshire Dales7Devizes12Dewsbury24Don Valley19Doncaster Central36Doncaster North14Dover20Dudley North18Dudley South14Dulwich and West Norwood18Dumfries and Galloway16Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale11Dundee East14Dundee West9Dunfermline and West Fife16Dwyfor Meirionnydd12Ealing Central and Acton19Ealing North30Ealing, Southall27Easington20East Devon18East Dunbartonshire29East Ham24East Hampshire12East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow34East Lothian12East Renfrewshire21East Surrey18East Worthing and Shoreham24East Yorkshire18Eastbourne38Eastleigh31Eddisbury15Edinburgh East9Edinburgh North and Leith14Edinburgh South7Edinburgh South West14Edinburgh West12Edmonton39Ellesmere Port and Neston25Elmet and Rothwell11Eltham22Enfield North32Enfield, Southgate22Epping Forest31Epsom and Ewell11Erewash21Erith and Thamesmead24Esher and Walton13Exeter23Falkirk16Fareham16Faversham and Mid Kent17Feltham and Heston24Filton and Bradley Stoke25Finchley and Golders Green18Folkestone and Hythe34Forest of Dean10Fylde25Gainsborough19Garston and Halewood31Gateshead17Gedling22Gillingham and Rainham22Glasgow Central20Glasgow East50Glasgow North17Glasgow North East37Glasgow North West29Glasgow South31Glasgow South West43Glenrothes15Gloucester27Gordon16Gosport19Gower23Grantham and Stamford12Gravesham19Great Grimsby36Great Yarmouth21Greenwich and Woolwich10Guildford9Hackney North and Stoke Newington9Hackney South and Shoreditch17Halesowen and Rowley Regis19Halifax28Haltemprice and Howden9Halton38Hammersmith18Hampstead and Kilburn13Harborough16Harlow18Harrogate and Knaresborough14Harrow East20Harrow West17Hartlepool31Harwich and North Essex18Hastings and Rye43Havant29Hayes and Harlington19Hazel Grove25Hemel Hempstead15Hemsworth22Hendon29Henley16Hereford and South Herefordshire25Hertford and Stortford14Hertsmere21Hexham5Heywood and Middleton29High Peak17Hitchin and Harpenden..Holborn and St Pancras14Hornchurch and Upminster23Hornsey and Wood Green17Horsham6Houghton and Sunderland South25Hove32Huddersfield18Huntingdon7Hyndburn15Ilford North21Ilford South36Inverclyde24Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey12Ipswich21Isle of Wight42Islington North16Islington South and Finsbury19Islwyn21Jarrow16Keighley14Kenilworth and Southam10Kensington10Kettering22Kilmarnock and Loudoun12Kingston and Surbiton27Kingston upon Hull East11Kingston upon Hull North18Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle15Kingswood17Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath15Knowsley41Lanark and Hamilton East26Lancaster and Fleetwood25Leeds Central21Leeds East11Leeds North East24Leeds North West12Leeds West17Leicester East29Leicester South22Leicester West28Leigh40Lewes14Lewisham East34Lewisham West and Penge19Lewisham, Deptford16Leyton and Wanstead9Lichfield7Lincoln24Linlithgow and East Falkirk23Liverpool, Riverside19Liverpool, Walton38Liverpool, Wavertree30Liverpool, West Derby33Livingston26Llanelli24Loughborough25Louth and Horncastle28Ludlow10Luton North31Luton South34Macclesfield18Maidenhead6Maidstone and The Weald12Makerfield30Maldon11Manchester Central23Manchester, Gorton30Manchester, Withington19Mansfield17Meon Valley15Meriden26Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney23Mid Bedfordshire9Mid Derbyshire14Mid Dorset and North Poole17Mid Norfolk12Mid Sussex11Mid Worcestershire14Middlesbrough23Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland27Midlothian15Milton Keynes North18Milton Keynes South24Mitcham and Morden26Mole Valley14Monmouth12Montgomeryshire8Moray..Morecambe and Lunesdale25Morley and Outwood20Motherwell and Wishaw22Na h-Eileanan an Iar..Neath37New Forest East27New Forest West17Newark18Newbury7Newcastle upon Tyne Central19Newcastle upon Tyne East16Newcastle upon Tyne North28Newcastle-under-Lyme12Newport East19Newport West18Newton Abbot30Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford15North Ayrshire and Arran29North Cornwall19North Devon22North Dorset11North Durham18North East Bedfordshire7North East Cambridgeshire33North East Derbyshire10North East Fife12North East Hampshire8North East Hertfordshire..North East Somerset25North Herefordshire14North Norfolk13North Shropshire22North Somerset15North Swindon37North Thanet40North Tyneside27North Warwickshire20North West Cambridgeshire25North West Durham21North West Hampshire15North West Leicestershire14North West Norfolk17North Wiltshire16Northampton North37Northampton South24Norwich North14Norwich South17Nottingham East23Nottingham North34Nottingham South26Nuneaton24Ochil and South Perthshire13Ogmore34Old Bexley and Sidcup16Oldham East and Saddleworth26Oldham West and Royton14Orkney and Shetland..Orpington13Oxford East10Oxford West and Abingdon12Paisley and Renfrewshire North24Paisley and Renfrewshire South22Pendle17Penistone and Stocksbridge9Penrith and The Border..Perth and North Perthshire10Peterborough34Plymouth, Moor View30Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport31Pontypridd28Poole26Poplar and Limehouse17Portsmouth North27Portsmouth South25Preseli Pembrokeshire16Preston24Pudsey15Putney10Rayleigh and Wickford13Reading East14Reading West7Redcar26Redditch19Reigate14Rhondda23Ribble Valley13Richmond (Yorks)10Richmond Park12Rochdale26Rochester and Strood21Rochford and Southend East35Romford24Romsey and Southampton North7Ross, Skye and Lochaber13Rossendale and Darwen27Rother Valley20Rotherham14Rugby28Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner11Runnymede and Weybridge12Rushcliffe13Rutherglen and Hamilton West30Rutland and Melton10Saffron Walden10Salford and Eccles16Salisbury14Scarborough and Whitby15Scunthorpe20Sedgefield15Sefton Central24Selby and Ainsty15Sevenoaks10Sheffield Central7Sheffield South East18Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough21Sheffield, Hallam12Sheffield, Heeley19Sherwood25Shipley28Shrewsbury and Atcham19Sittingbourne and Sheppey35Skipton and Ripon12Sleaford and North Hykeham18Slough21Solihull20Somerton and Frome16South Basildon and East Thurrock22South Cambridgeshire9South Derbyshire19South Dorset19South East Cambridgeshire13South East Cornwall33South Holland and The Deepings34South Leicestershire12South Norfolk8South Northamptonshire15South Ribble19South Shields17South Staffordshire9South Suffolk6South Swindon21South Thanet34South West Bedfordshire36South West Devon27South West Hertfordshire8South West Norfolk15South West Surrey7South West Wiltshire27Southampton, Itchen26Southampton, Test18Southend West22Southport35Spelthorne14St Albans8St Austell and Newquay24St Helens North28St Helens South and Whiston36St Ives25Stafford16Staffordshire Moorlands13Stalybridge and Hyde28Stevenage14Stirling8Stockport27Stockton North22Stockton South25Stoke-on-Trent Central17Stoke-on-Trent North18Stoke-on-Trent South17Stone14Stourbridge30Stratford-on-Avon11Streatham21Stretford and Urmston33Stroud11Suffolk Coastal15Sunderland Central24Surrey Heath12Sutton Coldfield17Sutton and Cheam12Swansea East26Swansea West20Tamworth16Tatton20Taunton Deane24Telford30Tewkesbury12The Cotswolds10The Wrekin23Thirsk and Malton10Thornbury and Yate17Thurrock33Tiverton and Honiton13Tonbridge and Malling6Tooting11Torbay35Torfaen25Torridge and West Devon19Totnes35Tottenham15Truro and Falmouth20Tunbridge Wells11Twickenham12Tynemouth20Uxbridge and South Ruislip18Vale of Clwyd46Vale of Glamorgan48Vauxhall14Wakefield12Wallasey48Walsall North20Walsall South19Walthamstow28Wansbeck18Wantage15Warley30Warrington North29Warrington South24Warwick and Leamington14Washington and Sunderland West26Watford21Waveney37Wealden24Weaver Vale19Wellingborough29Wells28Welwyn Hatfield14Wentworth and Dearne11West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine7West Bromwich East21West Bromwich West24West Dorset10West Dunbartonshire18West Ham24West Lancashire42West Suffolk14West Worcestershire13Westminster North15Westmorland and Lonsdale13Weston-Super-Mare39Wigan16Wimbledon8Winchester8Windsor17Wirral South20Wirral West22Witham16Witney14Woking9Wokingham8Wolverhampton North East21Wolverhampton South East23Wolverhampton South West10Worcester20Workington8Worsley and Eccles South29Worthing West32Wrexham14Wycombe21Wyre Forest14Wyre and Preston North25Wythenshawe and Sale East29Yeovil19Ynys Môn11York Central10York Outer10

Support for Mortgage Interest

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish the number of recipients of Support for Mortgage Interest in each of the last 10 years.

Mims Davies: The table below shows the number of households who had a Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loan in payment for the past four years from April 2018, the point at which SMI became a loan, to March 2022.Number of households with an SMI loan in payment by year2018/192019/202020/212021/2218,40018,00016,40015,500Note: the year runs from 1st April to 31st March. These figures include all cases in payment in Great Britain and are rounded to the nearest hundred Note that quarterly experimental statistics are published which include the number of households in receipt of a Support for Mortgage Interest loan payment per quarter. The publication can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/support-for-mortgage-interest-statistics.The number of households receiving SMI, prior to it becoming a loan, has been published and can be viewed in table 3c, row 20 of the ‘Benefit expenditure and caseload tables’ publication. The publication can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2022. Note that this does not include Universal Credit households in receipt of SMI.

Jobcentre Plus

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve advice to job seekers.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs.The department provides advice and support to jobseekers receiving benefits through our network of Jobcentres. Our Work Coaches engage with claimants on the basis of their individual need to provide advice on finding a job, help with retraining or skills advice, job applications and access to new vacancies, as well as signposting to our JobHelp website.The JobHelp campaign offers job search advice and showcases priority sectors and job vacancies to help people successfully find work. The JobHelp website also provides help to get work experience and signposting to initiatives such as Access to work.

Social Security Benefits: Coronavirus

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the cost of applying the £20 per week uplift to legacy benefit recipients which was provided to recipients of Universal Credit during the period covering the outbreak of covid-19.

Guy Opperman: No such assessment has been made and it would incur disproportionate costs to make an estimate.

Jobseekers' Allowance: Havering

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of Jobseekers' Allowance in Havering.

Guy Opperman: Statistics on the number of individuals on Jobseekers' Allowance at the end of each quarter, broken down by local authority, are published on Stat-Xplore. If needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required from Stat-Xplore. Monthly statistics for those on Jobseeker’s Allowance are available by local authority on NOMIS, with guidance available here.

Carers Allowance

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the carers allowance.

Tom Pursglove: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to question UIN 69650 given by my Hon. Friend on 27 October 2022. See: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2022-10-24/69650

Personal Independence Payment: Disqualification

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the amount withheld by her Department through its policy of suspending Personal Independence Payments when claimants are hospitalised for more than 28 days in each year since 2012.

Tom Pursglove: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to prioritise the needs of vulnerable claimants and protected groups in plans to use data analytics and machine learning to flag potential benefit fraud.

Tom Pursglove: As a public body, the Department for Work and Pensions has processes in place to ensure it meets the requirements of the Equality Act 2010, including the Public Sector Equality Duty, which covers the need to pay due regard to equality in the development and provision of its services; our approach to using data analytics and machine learning to detect/prevent fraud is no exception. The department has been cautious in this area and is committed to ensuring individuals’ rights are protected when personal data is processed for its functions and has outlined in its Personal Information Charter how we use data for fraud and error purposes. The department also has measures in place to identify and support vulnerable claimants, including referral to our specialist customer support team who provide a range of services. The department is conscious to take into account the impact of decisions on protected groups under the Equality Act. The department is always careful to process data lawfully, proportionately, and ethically, with meaningful human input and safeguards in place for the protection of individuals. We do not use machine learning to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant; a human agent always makes final decisions in these circumstances.

State Retirement Pensions: Underpayments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase the speed of rectifying the underpayment of the state pension to 237,000 people.

Laura Trott: The Government is fully committed to ensuring that these historical errors, made by successive Governments, are addressed as quickly as possible. By the end of March 2023, we plan to have around 1300 staff dedicated to the State Pension LEAP exercise.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce the (a) level and (b) net cost of benefit fraud.

Tom Pursglove: Our Fraud Plan, Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System, published on 19 May 2022, sets out our plans for reducing the level of fraud and error in the welfare system by:Investing in DWP’s frontline counter-fraud professionals and data analytics, including recruiting 2,000 trained specialists to review over two million Universal Credit cases;Creating new legal powers to investigate potential fraud and punish fraudsters (subject to legislation);Bringing together the full force of the public and private sectors to keep one step ahead.The full document can be found at: Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System – GOV.UK. This builds on the existing work the department has done to address fraud and error, with savings from correction and prevention of fraud and error totaling £2 billion last year. The Government is investing £1.4bn of funding over the next three years to combat fraud and error.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud and Standards

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to recruit additional staff to reduce fraud and error in the benefit system by April 2024.

Tom Pursglove: As detailed in the Fraud Plan published in May 2022, we are investing an additional £613m over the next three years in order to combat fraud and error. This will boost our frontline defences by 75% and will help stop £2.0 billion of loss in fraud. This investment includes funding for 1,400 more staff in our counter-fraud teams and a new 2,000-strong team dedicated to reviewing existing Universal Credit claims. More information on our Fraud Plan can be found here: Fighting Fraud in the Welfare System - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Sanitary Protection: Waste Disposal

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there are plans to amend the guidance on the Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare, Approved Code of Practice to accommodate the provision of suitable bins for men to dispose of sanitary products.

Mims Davies: The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 cover a wide range of issues relating to workplace health and safety, including work space, lighting, temperature, ventilation, traffic routes, windows, seating, toilets and rest facilities. These regulations already require that facilities are suitable for any person. All workers have a right to a safe working environment and employers should discuss working arrangements with their workers. The heatwaves this summer prompted a number of Parliamentarians to raise concerns about maximum workplace temperature. As a result, the Health and Safety Executive is revising the scope of the review to consider this issue therefore progress on the review of the guidance has been delayed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Climate Change

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of the Government's approach to combating climate change.

Trudy Harrison: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of subjects, including climate. The UK was the first major economy to commit to a legally binding target of achieving net zero by 2050 and we stand fully behind this.To ensure it is delivered as effectively as possible, the Government has announced an independent review of its approach to meeting its net zero 2050 target to ensure we deliver our legal commitment in a way that is pro-business and pro-growth.While we accelerate efforts to end our contribution to climate change, we are also continuing to take action to ensure the country is well prepared to face the challenges the changing climate is bringing. Defra is working to develop a third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) that addresses all 61 risks and opportunities identified in its third Climate Change Risk Assessment.

Convention on Biological Diversity
Nature Conservation

Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to publish the Government's environmental targets before the COP15 UN biodiversity conference.

Trudy Harrison: As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs set out in a written statement published on 28 October, we will continue to work at pace in order to lay draft statutory instruments as soon as practicable.

Wildlife: Fireworks

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of low-noise fireworks on wildlife.

Trudy Harrison: We have made no such assessment. However, HM Government takes the issues associated with the sale and use of fireworks seriously. There is a comprehensive regulatory framework already in place for fireworks which aims to strike the right balance for people to enjoy fireworks, while aiming to reduce risks and disturbances to the welfare of animals. Information on how to use fireworks responsibly can be found here: www.gov.uk/government/news/staying-safe-with-fireworks It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal unnecessary suffering - and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. Users of fireworks need to use them responsibly and be aware of animals close by, and those found guilty of causing animals unnecessary suffering can face up to five years’ imprisonment.

Agriculture: Land

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it remains her Department's policy to redefine best and most versatile land to include category 3b.

Trudy Harrison: Best and most versatile agricultural land (BMVAL) is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework and Natural England’s guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification. Protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto. That’s why we will be looking at the frameworks for regulation, innovation and investment that impact farmers and land managers to make sure that our policies are best placed to boost food production, increase resilience, deliver long-term energy security and protect the environment.

Hedges and Ditches

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 to extend protections to (a) urban and (b) countryside hedgerows that are deemed important to the character of local landscapes.

Trudy Harrison: HM Government recognises the importance and value of hedgerows, which have a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity. Although there is local variation, research has indicated that, nationally, over 70% of hedgerows in England and Wales are 'important' and protected by the Hedgerow Regulations. The Regulations do not cover urban hedges which are covered by the planning system but do play a valuable role in providing statutory protection for a large proportion of hedgerows in the countryside. Although the risk of removal of Hedgerows is now extremely low compared to when the Regulations came into effect, we are currently exploring the best possible ways to further protect and enhance hedgerows as an important habitat. In addition, through planning decisions, local authorities have the ability to impose enforceable planning conditions on a developer to protect hedges or trees assessed as being worthy of retention, which might otherwise be harmed by construction or the new land-use. Developments which are subject to the Environment’s Act biodiversity gain requirement will also have to measure their impact on hedgerows with the biodiversity metric. Any losses will have to be compensated for with new or enhanced hedgerows, either on the development site or elsewhere Furthermore, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring, or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests, providing further important protections for most hedgerows and wild birds.

Carbon Emissions

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made for the implications of her policies of the outcome of the Client Earth court case on the Government’s net zero strategy.

Trudy Harrison: The Net Zero Strategy, which includes ambitious policies for my department, remains HM Government policy and has not been quashed. The judge made no criticism about the substance of our plans which are well on track and, in fact, the claimants themselves described them as ‘laudable’ during the proceedings. We anticipate publishing a more detailed response to the Court Order on the Net Zero Strategy in due course.

Saltmarshes: Carbon Capture and Storage

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy the potential merits of including the restoration of saltmarshes for blue carbon in the Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

Trudy Harrison: Nature-based solutions, including blue carbon habitats such as saltmarsh, have an important role to play in preventing biodiversity loss and supporting adaptation and resilience to climate change, alongside their carbon sequestration benefits. In the UK, there are currently significant evidence gaps that prevent the accurate reporting and therefore inclusion of emissions from coastal wetland habitats, including saltmarsh, into the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory. Through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership, UK Administrations are working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Defra to address key research questions relating to blue carbon, including to support the potential future inclusion of saltmarsh within the inventory. The first aim of the Partnership has been to identify and then clearly set out the most pressing research questions relating to blue carbon in an Evidence Needs Statement that will act as a signal to the research community. The UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership plans to publish the Evidence Needs Statement in spring 2023.

Nature Conservation

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution, published on 18 November 2020, how many nature projects have been delivered through point 9, protecting our natural environment, since the publication of that plan.

Trudy Harrison: Point 9 of The Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution announced a number of actions government is putting in place to protect our natural environment. Since the publication of the Plan in November 2020, these measures have kick-started a number of nature projects: 159 nature projects have been enabled by our £80 million Green Recovery Challenge Fund, a short-term competitive fund that has created and supported jobs in the nature sector across England. These projects have helped to restore nature, used nature-based solutions to tackle climate change and connected people with the natural environment. 22 projects have been selected for the first round of Landscape Recovery, all of which have pioneering ideas that will improve the rural landscape and reverse the decline in nature. The successful projects will be awarded a share of around £12 million in development grants over the next two years, to help them finalise their delivery plans before starting implementation on the ground. 25 schemes that include natural flood management (NFM) measures have secured approval to enter construction as part of the current Flood and Coastal Risk Investment Programme, with a further 27 forecast due to achieve the same stage by the end of this financial year (31 March 2023). These contribute towards an ambition of 260 schemes that include NFM measures by the end of the programme (March 2027). Two new Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) (the Yorkshire Wolds and Cheshire Sandstone Ridge) and two extensions to AONBs (the Surrey Hills and Chilterns) are under consideration by Natural England (NE) under our landmark designation programme. This programme is expected to be completed by 2025 and will play a key role in meeting HM Government’s commitment to protect and improve 30% of UK land for nature by 2030.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Buildings

Holly Lynch: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of work stations available for people employed by his Department on departmental premises.

Mark Spencer: The estimated total number of workspace/desks is 19,800. This includes all sites including Weybridge, council offices (where we have some desks) and labs. This includes Defra or any of the arm’s length bodies (Environment Agency/Rural Payments Agency/Natural England/etc).

Recycling

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential (a) implications for her policies of differences between local council recycling policies and (b) merits of introducing a uniform UK-wide recycling policy.

Rebecca Pow: Waste is a devolved policy and the devolved administrations have their own arrangements for household recycling and waste collections. Following support at consultation, the Environment Act 2021 amends the Environmental Protection Act to stipulate that all local authorities in England will be required to collect a core set of materials for recycling. Last year we held a second consultation on implementation timelines, materials in scope and exemptions. We will publish a response and final impact assessment in due course.

Waste Disposal: Convictions

Jonathan Gullis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many companies have been convicted of waste offences after breaching a permit to dispose of waste in cases brought by the Environment Agency in the last five years.

Rebecca Pow: The following table provides details of how many companies have been convicted of waste offences after breaching a permit to dispose of waste in cases brought by the Environment Agency in the last five years. Waste Offences Number of Registered Companies ConvictedYearBreach of Permit ConditionsIllegal Activity201771120185142019713202035202125Total2448

Fisheries: Marine Protected Areas

Zarah Sultana: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to adjust commercial fishing licences for 2023 to stop industrial fishing in Marine Protected Areas, in the context of declines in fish populations.

Mark Spencer: Management measures in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are introduced on a site-by-site basis to ensure that measures can be tailored to meet the conservation objectives of each site and without unnecessarily restricting fishing activity. We are aiming to have all English MPAs protected from damaging fishing activity by the end of 2024, and have recently consulted on candidate Highly Protected Marine Areas. As set out in the Fisheries Act 2020, FMPs will also be important tools to deliver sustainable and well managed fisheries around the UK, that meet our national and international commitments.HM Government is reviewing its policy on industrial fishing, and we will continue to engage with stakeholders about our future approach over the next few months, particularly towards industrial fishing of sandeel and Norway pout within our waters. The UK advocates an approach towards setting Total Allowable Catches (TACs) which is founded on the best available scientific advice and that will maintain or rebuild sustainable fish stocks and fisheries.

National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had meetings with the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations in the last 12 months.

Mark Spencer: In the last twelve months, Defra Ministers have had regular meetings with the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) to discuss a wide variety of issues.

Fisheries: Sustainable Development

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help the British fishing industry operate sustainably.

Mark Spencer: HM Government is committed to sustainable fishing and the principle of Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) as set out in the 25 Year Environment Plan and our Fisheries White Paper. The draft Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) included a list of proposed Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) around the UK with a timetable for their publication. FMPs will be evidence-based action plans developed with fishermen and stakeholders to deliver sustainable fisheries for current and future generations. The £100 million UK Seafood Fund (UKSF) is being used to reform and modernise infrastructure, encourage new entrants to the industry and ensure the best science research and technology is used in fisheries management. One of the key objectives of the Fund is to enable an environmentally sustainable fishing industry that gives most value for money and reflects the long-term needs of the sector. In addition to the UKSF, HM Government delivers an annual investment of £32.7 million to support the fishing and seafood sectors and protect the marine environment. Funding is divided between each of the four fishing administrations and is designed to deliver grant funding schemes, support evidence gathering and protect our waters. The Fisheries and Seafood Scheme invests at least £6 million annually to help support the long-term sustainability, resilience, and prosperity of the seafood sector in England. Funding across the UK has been secured every year until April 2025, providing long term investment to the sector.

Home Office

Detention Centres: Manston

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) adults, and (b) children have been held at Manston Immigration Processing Center for over (i) 24 hours, (ii) 48 hours, (iii) seven days, (iv) 14 days, and (v) 21 days.

Robert Jenrick: Due to the nature of Manston as a Processing Centre the numbers of adults and children rapidly changes. Any figures provided could be inaccurate at the time of publication.

Asylum: Erewash

Darren Henry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will take steps to tackle incidences of anti-social behaviour and intimidation by some of the migrants recently housed in two hotels in Erewash.

Robert Jenrick: Due to the continuing unprecedented high volume of small boats arrivals and the historical pressure from COVID-19 measures on the asylum system it has been necessary to continue to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers to meet our immediate statutory need. Asylum seekers granted accommodation and support whilst their applications are being considered are not detained and are free to come and go as they please. They are clearly advised of the expectations the Home Office and our accommodation providers have for them to behave responsibility while they reside in our properties and not to engage in any form of criminal or anti-social activity. All incidents are reported to the Home Office immediately by the providers; this is a contractual requirement. We then work with the provider to put additional measures in place, if required. This includes working with other statutory bodies including police to investigate any potential criminal activities. We do not comment publicly on operational arrangements at individual sites. Community cohesion is an important aspect of using contingency sites successfully and we will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders in multi-agency forums to understand and address any concerns appropriately as the site operates.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the impact of capacity in UK bridging hotels on waiting times for eligible Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy applicants waiting in Pakistan for transfer to the UK.

Robert Jenrick: Government departments continue to work collaboratively in order to make casework decisions and ensure visas are issued as soon as is practicable, following appropriate checks including security. There are a number of complex issues that can impact how swiftly individuals can relocate to the UK, and as such, individual timeframes for decisions can differ considerably.

Asylum: Kent

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were accommodated at (a) Western Jet Foil, (b) Lydd Airport and (c) Manston asylum processing centre on each day in September 2022.

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were permitted to leave accommodation at (a) Western Jet Foil, (b) Lydd Airport and (c) Manston asylum processing centre on each day in September 2022.

Robert Jenrick: Home Office does not hold the requested data in a reportable format and there are currently no plans to publish this historic data.

Detention Centres

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of asylum processing centres.

Robert Jenrick: The processing centre at Manston provides suitable welfare provisions including hot food, fresh clothing, toilet facilities, sanitary packs and medical care. It provides for all the basic needs of people who will have arrived tired, cold, in wet clothing and who may not have eaten during their journey.As the situation and needs at Manston have changed, the Home Office and its contractors have continued to innovate to meet those changing needs. Additional marquees have been erected, additional medical personnel have been contracted and improvements have been made to the catering provided. We will continue to innovate to provide for the basic needs of those in our care and to ensure the safety of everyone at Manston as a priority.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many Afghan women's rights activists have been resettled in the UK under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The UK welcomes vulnerable people in need of protection to the UK through our resettlement schemes. These schemes have provided safe and legal routes for tens of thousands of people to start new lives in the UK. The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) prioritises those who have stood up for values such as democracy and women’s rights in Afghanistan, as well as vulnerable groups, including ethnic and religious minorities. Whilst we cannot provide a breakdown of the reasons – and particular vulnerabilities – that people resettling under the ACRS are experiencing, the recently published, 'Afghan Resettlement: Operational Data' factsheet shows that, at 12 Aug 2022: The UK has welcomed 21,450 people to the UK from Afghanistan - or a neighbouring country - since June 2021.The factsheet will be updated every quarter – with the next iteration scheduled for publication on 24 November 2022. Work is underway to assure information relating to all the individuals resettled under the ACRS and relocated under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) on case working systems. Once this work concludes, statistics on both schemes - including the number of people resettled under each - will be included in the published Immigration Statistics.

Asylum: Hotels

Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides additional funding to local authorities where hotels have been block booked for an indeterminate period for the sole use of asylum seekers.

Robert Jenrick: Due to the continuing unprecedented high volume of small boats arrivals and the historical pressure from COVID-19 measures on the asylum system it has been necessary to continue to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers to meet our immediate statutory need.   When a new hotel has been identified, the Home Office will write to the Local Authority Chief Executive and the MP for the area to inform them of our plans to house asylum seekers within the hotel identified. This is normally done in advance of a hotel being used, but where an urgent need for accommodation occurs, this may take place retrospectively. We also then offer the Local Authority a meeting to discuss the hotel, where they are able to provide feedback on the proposed site and all related matters.

Buses: Driving

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government plans to add bus and coach drivers to the Skilled Worker Visa: Shortage Occupations list.

Robert Jenrick: The Government commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to review the Shortage Occupation List (SOL). We therefore expect the MAC to launch its call for evidence shortly for all sectors and we encourage businesses to provide their evidence to the MAC at this point.

Asylum: Hotels

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities are housing (a) refugees and (b) asylum seekers in hotels as of 7 November 2022.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office has a statutory obligation to provide accommodation and other support to asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute while their application for asylum is being considered.The Home Office also publishes data on asylum seekers and refugees in accommodation in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ Immigration statistics, year ending June 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). We do not differentiate between hotels and other types of initial accommodation. Data is published on a quarterly basis, the latest information was published 23 September 2022.

Migrant Workers: Seasonal Workers

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department provides any help to find a new sponsor and travel for workers who have applied and been granted entry clearance to the UK on an agricultural Seasonal Worker visa but whose sponsor or Scheme Operator loses their licence before the worker travels to the UK; and whether such workers can claim for payments made for visas and travel.

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what help her Department provides for workers who have travelled to the UK on the agricultural Seasonal Worker visa scheme who, following arrival in the UK, are told there is no work available.

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what help her Department provides for workers who have travelled to the UK on the agricultural Seasonal Worker visa scheme and have their employment ended after a short period.

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which Government department is responsible for helping workers on the agricultural Seasonal Worker visa who are in situations which do not meet UK employment law but are not classified as modern slavery.

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if the Government will set up a Single Enforcement Body to ensure proactive labour market enforcement of conditions of workers employed in the UK via the agricultural Seasonal Worker visa scheme.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office is unable to comment on hypothetical scenarios, each individual case will be considered on its own merits and in accordance with the immigration rules and guidance in place at the time.As the published guidance states Seasonal Workers are permitted to work for more than one employer and it is the responsibility of the scheme operator to match workers with a suitable employer.The Scheme Operators are responsible for managing all aspects of the recruitment and placement of workers on UK farms and ensuring their welfare in the UK. This includes ensuring ethical recruitment practices, in line with Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority regulations, and that workers are fully supported throughout their stay. The Home Office closely monitors the scheme operators to ensure they are complying with their sponsor duties. Non-compliance with the guidance could result in the revocation of their sponsor license.Seasonal Workers receive the same protections under UK law as resident workers, including employment laws. Such laws are enforced by the relevant regulator.The Single Enforcement Body, lead by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, is a substantial organisational change and we are making sure all aspects have been considered. The new body requires primary legislation so timing depends on the Parliamentary timetable.

Educational Exchanges: Passports

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the new requirements for EU children visiting the UK on school exchanges to have a passport on the number of British children (a) from state schools, (b) with low-socioeconomic status and (c) from all backgrounds participating in school exchanges.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the new requirement for EU children on school exchanges to have a passport on revenues in the British tourism industry.

Robert Jenrick: As part of the changes to the Immigration Rules in September 2021, we no longer accept national identity cards as a valid travel document from EU, EEA and Swiss visitors to the UK. Almost a year’s notice was provided for this change to allow groups to plan ahead and obtain passports where they do not already have them before they travel.We have always expected people who visit the UK, including children visiting as part of a school group, from outside the EU (including close allies such as the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand) to hold a passport and we now expect those visiting from EU countries to do the same.The experience at the UK border since the change has been positive, with EU, EEA and Swiss citizens making the switch to using their passport for travel. Using a passport also means most EU nationals making a short visit can also use e-gates where available for a quicker and easier arrival experience. There are no plans to change our approach.An impact assessment was undertaken of this change. There are no plans to make an assessment of the effect of this policy on the number of British school children involved in school exchanges.

Detention Centres: Manston

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what role Lieutenant General Stuart Skeates has in the operation of the Manston Short-term Holding Facility; and what the responsibilities are of the other military personnel working at that site.

Robert Jenrick: Lieutenant General Stuart Skeates has been loaned from the Ministry of Defence to the Home Office to provide advice and coordination of the department’s response to small boat crossings. This includes advising on the strategic direction of the Manston site. General Skeates is not responsible for operational decision making at Manston.Other military personnel working at the Manston site are deployed under a Memorandum of Terms of Occupation agreed between the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence in December 2021. These personnel support Home Office officials whilst they conduct initial assessment and screening of new arrivals at the site.

Asylum: Domestic Abuse and Exploitation

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to section 4.4.2 of Schedule 2 to the Asylum Accommodation and Support guidance, how many reports have been made under paragraph (a) 7.d and (b) 7.e in the last year.

Robert Jenrick: With reference to section 4.4.2 of Schedule 2 of the Asylum Accommodation and Support guidance the Home Office does not publish a breakdown of reports made under paragraph (a) 7.d and (b) 7.e These figures are not available in a reportable format and to provide the information could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Embassies: Demonstrations

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has taken steps with Cabinet colleagues to provide guidance to (a) local authorities and (b) police forces on protests outside foreign embassies and consulates.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has received guidance from (a) the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and (b) other Cabinet colleagues on how local authorities should respond to protests outside foreign embassies and consulates.

Apsana Begum: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to protect (a) freedom of expression and (b) the right to protest outside foreign embassies in the UK.

Chris Philp: Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights set out that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. This government will always fully support these rights, including the right of individuals to engage in peaceful protest.It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law.The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police. In certain circumstances, the police have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect those who want to exercise their rights peacefully.

Chinese Embassy: Demonstrations

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent steps his Department has taken to protect people who protest outside the Chinese Embassy in London since the incident at the Chinese Consulate in Manchester.

Chris Philp: Articles 10 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights set out that everyone has the right to freedom of expression, assembly and association. This government will always fully support these rights, including the right of individuals to engage in peaceful protest.It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to gather together and to demonstrate their views, provided that they do so within the law.The management of demonstrations is an operational matter for the police. In certain circumstances, the police have a duty to take reasonable steps to protect those who want to exercise their rights peacefully.

Crime

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether any guidance has been given to police forces on how they should advise victims of crime to report (a) making off without payment, (b) shoplifting and (c) any other particular types of crime.

Chris Philp: The Government is clear that all crimes, when they take place, should be reported to the police so they can be investigated appropriately.This Government is giving the police the powers they need to stop crimes from happening in the first place, including through supporting them to roll out a range of interventions, such as practical crime prevention advice, improved CCTV and street lighting through our Safer Streets Fund.Partnership working between businesses and the police is vital to ensuring an effective response to crimes like shoplifting and making off without payment. The Home Office works closely with the police and other crime prevention partners like Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) and the National Business Crime Centre (NBCC), to ensure we are consistently getting the basics right and to encourage the sharing of best practice, including reiterating the value of taking Victim and Business Impact Statements.It is for individual Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) as operational leaders and locally elected representatives to decide how best to deploy resources, manage and respond to individual crimes and local crime priorities.

CIFAS

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of cases referred to Cifas in 2021 resulted in a police investigation.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of fraud were referred to Cifas in each year since 2016 inclusive.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of cases referred to UK Finance resulted in a police investigation in the last 12 months.

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many incidents of fraud were referred to UK Finance in each year since 2016 inclusive.

Chris Philp: The Home Office collects information on the number of fraud offences that the NFIB refer to police forces for investigation and on the investigative outcomes recorded by the police.This data is published annually as part of the Home Office’s ‘Crime Outcomes in England and Wales’ publication. This provides information on all fraud cases referred to the police for investigation and their outcomes, but we cannot separately identify those reported from different bodies in the data that we hold centrally. The latest available data for the year ending March 2022 can be found be here:Crime outcomes in England and Wales 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Cars: Theft

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce car thefts.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to tackling vehicle-related thefts.We are working closely with police and motor manufacturers through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, chaired by the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for vehicle crime, taking forward a programme of work to prevent and reduce theft of and from vehicles, which includes training of police officers on methods used to steal vehicles, encouraging vehicle owners to secure their vehicles and working with industry to address vulnerability in vehicle.A network of vehicle crime leads has also been established, covering all forces, to ensure better sharing of information and intelligence.

Detention Centres: Manston

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department took steps to help tackle overcrowding at Manston short term holding facility in the six months before 1 November 2022.

Robert Jenrick: Before the high number of arrivals from August 2022 onwards, Manston had proven to be a streamlined and efficient asylum processing centre, where biographic and biometric details were taken and assessed against Home Office databases, asylum claims registered and the vulnerable assessed. Since then, the department has taken every step possible to ensure that any period of detention is as brief as possible, arrivals are processed quickly and, where appropriate, given initial asylum accommodation. We have been sourcing more bed spaces with local authorities and in contingency accommodation such as hotels, and we have erected additional marquees at Manston to increase the space available.

Asylum: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to help relieve pressure on levels of asylum accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: We have been working closely with our accommodation providers to increase the amount of Dispersed Accommodation (DA) available to us. The full asylum dispersal model, announced on 13 April 2022, will gradually end the use of hotels. This will be achieved by allowing the Home Office to procure dispersal properties within the private rental sector in all Local Authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales, rather than the minority of Local Authorities which currently participate. This approach will also reduce pressures on those Local Authorities.We explore new and alternative sites as part of our contingency planning to ensure we have enough capacity across the system to meet expected demand and meet our statutory obligations.Regarding Local Authorities who support people through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) or the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) will receive £20,520 per person, over 3 years, for resettlement and integration costs. They have the flexibility to use this funding to contribute towards renting accommodation, including deposit, letting fees and necessary furnishings.Local authorities and health partners who resettle families will also receive up to £4,500 per child for education, £850 for English language provision for adults requiring this support and £2,600 for healthcare. This funding is available to local authorities who resettle families under the 3 year ACRS/ARAP with effect from 1 September 2021.For other resettlement schemes the first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs are funded by central government using the overseas aid budget.

Local Government Finance: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with Cabinet colleagues on providing funding for local authorities supporting refugees.

Robert Jenrick: We have been working closely with our accommodation providers to increase the amount of Dispersed Accommodation (DA) available to us. The full asylum dispersal model, announced on 13 April 2022, will gradually end the use of hotels. This will be achieved by allowing the Home Office to procure dispersal properties within the private rental sector in all Local Authority areas across England, Scotland and Wales, rather than the minority of Local Authorities which currently participate. This approach will also reduce pressures on those Local Authorities.We explore new and alternative sites as part of our contingency planning to ensure we have enough capacity across the system to meet expected demand and meet our statutory obligations.Regarding Local Authorities who support people through the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) or the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) will receive £20,520 per person, over 3 years, for resettlement and integration costs. They have the flexibility to use this funding to contribute towards renting accommodation, including deposit, letting fees and necessary furnishings.Local authorities and health partners who resettle families will also receive up to £4,500 per child for education, £850 for English language provision for adults requiring this support and £2,600 for healthcare. This funding is available to local authorities who resettle families under the 3 year ACRS/ARAP with effect from 1 September 2021.For other resettlement schemes the first 12 months of a refugee’s resettlement costs are funded by central government using the overseas aid budget.

Asylum: Housing

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has provided additional funding to local authorities for the support of refugees who have been moved from the Manston immigration centre.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to support local health services providing support for people arriving in hotels from Manston Immigration Processing Centre.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she is taking steps to provide resources to Civil Society to help them support refugees staying in hotels within their local communities.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what security standards her Department has put in place at hotels where refugees are staying; and whether her Department has provided additional funding for that security.

Robert Jenrick: The welfare and safety of all vulnerable asylum seekers in our care is of the upmost importance to the Home Office. Our accommodation providers have a robust delivery model in place, maximising the use of on-site facilities for recreation, and pastoral care to minimise impact on the local community. Security and support staff are on site 24 hours a day and providers liaise closely with local police to ensure the safety of vulnerable residents and to mitigate any risks to them and the wider community. All asylum seekers undergo a security clearance at Manston. All asylum seekers have access to NHS services from arrival in the UK. The Home Office and its contractors work closely with the NHS, local authorities and non-governmental organisations to ensure that people can access the health care and support they need. Funding is available to the Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) who are responsible for commissioning healthcare services for those in initial accommodation and this can be claimed via the NHS England contact. The Full Dispersal model, announced on 13 April 2022is supported by £21million of un-ringfenced grant funding to make sure eligible Local Authorities can provide wraparound support locally. Local authorities will also receive £3,500 for each new dispersal accommodation bed space in the 22/23 financial year.

Asylum: Hotels

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much was paid to private companies to manage the procurement of hotel accommodation for asylum applicants in each of the last 12 months by company.

Robert Jenrick: Due to the continuing unprecedented high volume of small boats arrivals and the historical pressure from COVID-19 measures on the asylum system it has been necessary to continue to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers to meet our immediate statutory need. The precise number of hotel spaces available will fluctuate through each day, therefore it is not possible to advise how many accommodation spaces were available to asylum seekers on each day since 5 September 2022. Under the Asylum Accommodation and Support Services Contracts (AASC), three accommodation providers have been contracted to procure and provide hotel accommodation for asylum seekers; Clearsprings Ready Homes, Mears Group and Serco.The contracts have been awarded on a regional basis as follows.Serco - Midlands and East of England, North WestMears Group - North East, Yorkshire and Humberside, Northern Ireland and ScotlandClearsprings Ready Homes – South of England and Wales Accommodation costs are considered to be commercially confidential, therefore the Home Office does not publish this information. However, total expenditure on asylum is published in the Home Office Annual Report and Accounts, available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/ho-annual-reports-and-accounts

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Sanitation: Males

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of requiring the provision of sanitary bins in male toilets in statute.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Lavatories: Males

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if the Government will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a statutory obligation to provide sanitary bins in (a) existing and (b) newly built men's public toilets.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Public Lavatories: Building Regulations

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he has taken to progress (a) research on the needs of all people using toilets and (b) wider research on Part M of the Building Regulations on access to and use of buildings.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government Finance

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the funding shortfall for councils in the next financial year.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the potential cost to (a) local councils and (b) government of implementing the requirement for mandatory voter ID during May 2023 local elections.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the state of readiness of local councils for administering mandatory voter ID in May 2023 local elections.

Lee Rowley: Estimated Implementation costs are available in the Impact Assessment that was published alongside the draft secondary legislation implementing the voter identification requirements. This estimate covers the wider costs that will be incurred by central government, not just specifically local authorities.In line with longstanding government policy, New Burdens will be provided to local authorities to clear additional costs as a result of these changes.

Private Rented Housing: Sales

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to incentivise landlords to sell properties with tenants-in-situ (a) this winter and (b) beyond.

Felicity Buchan: The Government encourages any landlord who wishes to sell their property to consider selling with sitting tenants.To support this, the 'A Fairer Private Rented Sector' White Paper proposes amending the existing mortgage repossession ground. This would allow it to be used by lenders where the landlord bought the property with a tenant in situ. This will mean lenders should have more confidence to lend on these properties.

Capital Investment

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what estimate his Department has made of the costs incurred by councils which have expressed interest in applying to become investment zones.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when his Department plans to announce the (a) criteria and (b) timetable for councils to apply for investment zone status.

Lee Rowley: We are assessing the proposals received through the recent Expression Of Interest process. Policy announcements will be made in the usual way. Individual authorities responding to the Expression of Interest will be able to confirm time spent on preparation of submission.

Fuel Poverty: Government Assistance

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the Answer of 26 October 2022 to Question 67864 on Fuel Poverty: Government Assistance, whether he has had recent discussions with Kirklees council on the provision of warm spaces in winter 2022.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 67864. Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on GOV.UK.

Buildings: Insulation

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when he plans to publish a final developer remediation contract giving effect to the principles agreed in the pledge committing developers to remediate fire-safety defects in buildings over 11 metres in England which have played a role in developing or refurbishing in the last 30 years.

Lee Rowley: The Government published a draft of the developer remediation contract on 13 July 2022 and has since received comments and held discussions on the draft with various parties. We are in advanced negotiations with developers to finalise the contract, which will make the commitments in the developer pledge (published in April) legally binding. We will publish the final form of the contract as soon as possible, at which point developers will be asked to sign the contract. We have made clear that the contract will not deviate from the commitments in the pledge.

Social Rented Housing

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of capping the social rent increase at 3 per cent.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of capping social rent increases at three per cent on levels of homelessness.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of building new social housing with rents pegged to local income on levels of homelessness.

Felicity Buchan: We consulted on setting a ceiling on such rent increases at 3%, 5% or 7% and included an impact assessment for each option here. The consultation is closed, and we are considering responses with a view to responding shortly.

Affordable Housing: Young People

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to provide young people with affordable housing.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to work with industry to support young people in London to purchase a house.

Lucy Frazer: This Government is committed to providing the affordable homes the country needs, including for young people in London. That is why we are investing £11.5 billion through our Affordable Homes Programme (AHP).We recognise that younger people are often more likely to rent their property, which is why the AHP will deliver significant volumes of affordable home ownership properties, supporting aspiring young homeowners to take their first step on to the housing ladder.The Department works closely with industry to deliver schemes like Shared Ownership and First Homes which support first time buyers into home ownership. Since 2015, over 21,000 additional Shared Ownership homes have been delivered in London.

Fast Food: Planning Permission

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the proposed location of fast food establishments near to schools constitutes reasonable grounds for refusing planning permission.

Lucy Frazer: The Government has made clear in the National Planning Policy Framework that planning policies and decisions should enable and support healthy lifestyles. As part of this the Planning Practice Guidance sets out that local authorities through their development plan can include policies which seek to limit certain uses, that require planning permission, in proximity to locations where children and young people congregate such as schools.Any planning applications will be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

Capital Investment

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is talking to ensure that Investment Zones maintain (a) workers' rights and (b) environmental protections.

Lee Rowley: I refer the Hon. Member to my answers to Question UIN 71118 on 2 November 2022 and Question 67127 on 8 November 2022.

Levelling Up Fund

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will increase existing awards of Levelling Up Funding, in the context of rising inflation.

Dehenna Davison: The department is monitoring the impact of inflation closely through formal reporting mechanisms and regular discussions with local government counterparts and stakeholders.The Levelling Up Fund has put in place a proportionate project adjustment process. Further discussions are underway about what other support can be offered to mitigate inflationary pressures.

Levelling Up Fund

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether the Government plans to announce third round bids for the Levelling Up Fund in March 2023.

Dehenna Davison: I refer the Rt Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 71000 on 2 November 2022.

Islamophobia

Sarah Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what recent discussions he has had with Muslim faith leaders on Islamophobia in the UK.

Lee Rowley: This Government takes tackling Anti-Muslim hatred very seriously and working to stop it. Earlier this year the Secretary of State chaired a roundtable with experts on Anti-Muslim hatred where we discussed the drivers of discrimination against Muslim communities.

Housing: Energy

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homes in Sefton Central constituency have a D level or below for their energy efficiency.

Lee Rowley: The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities publishes details of all Energy Performance Certificates for England and Wales held on the Energy Performance of Buildings Register. The full data set is freely available on the Open Data Communities website here.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: Location

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will publish a breakdown of the total payments made to civil servants in his Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021.

Florence Eshalomi: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if they will publish the payments made to officials in their Department for relocation to government offices outside London in 2021.

Lee Rowley: The Government is committed to Places for Growth. This policy is intended to help address the imbalance of public sector roles throughout the UK and to boost local economic growth, outside of London and the South East. The intention is to build more sustainable career paths for civil servants, including senior officials, outside of London. To achieve these ends some relocations are required. A total of £37,429 was paid for costs incurred in relocating outside London.

Northern Ireland Office

Official Visits: Northern Ireland

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what protocols there are for the prior notification of visits to Northern Ireland by Ministers serving in the (a) UK and (b) Republic of Ireland Government.

Mr Steve Baker: UK Government Ministers are encouraged to notify the Northern Ireland Office in advance of their visits to receive advice on logistics and substance of their visit programmes. The UK Government is, by convention, informed in advance of visits to Northern Ireland by members of the Irish Government, as a matter of courtesy. As expressed in our answer of 7 November (UIN 74995), records are not kept of these notifications.

Northern Ireland Assembly: Elections

Carla Lockhart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, on what date the election to the Northern Ireland Assembly will be held.

Mr Steve Baker: Following the expiry of the period for the formation of an Executive, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland came under a duty to call an election in the twelve weeks from 28 October. The Secretary of State announced in Parliament on 9 November that he will introduce legislation to provide a short, straightforward extension to the period for Executive formation - extending the current period by 6 weeks to 8 December, with the potential of a further six-week extension to 19 January if necessary. I urge the Parties to use the time available to come together and restore government, in the interests of all people in Northern Ireland.

Treasury

Mortality Rates

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the study by Walsh et al on Bearing the burden of austerity: how do changing mortality rates in the UK compare between men and women?, published on 5 October 2022 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, which found that there were 334,327 excess deaths beyond the expected number in England, Wales and Scotland between 2012-2019 as a result of Government policies over that period; and if he will make statement.

John Glen: The government is committed to supporting individuals to live healthier lives, and at the heart of this is improving access to and levelling up health and care across the country. As such, the government has reconfirmed its levelling up mission to narrow the gap in Healthy Life Expectancy by 2030 and increase Healthy Life Expectancy by 5 years by 2035. We recognise this study raises a serious and important issue. The government's approach will focus on supporting people to live healthier lives, helping the NHS and social care to provide the best treatment and care for patients and tackling health disparities through national and system interventions such as the NHS’s Core20PLUS5 programme. The NHS is a key priority for this government, and so is continuing to invest in health and social care which is set to reach £188bn in 2024-25.

Sunscreens: VAT

Amy Callaghan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the rate of Value Added Tax on sunscreen, sunblock and other sun safety products.

Victoria Atkins: The standard rate of VAT applies to the vast majority of goods and services, including sun safety products. High-factor sunscreen is on the NHS prescription list for certain conditions and is therefore VAT free when dispensed by a pharmacist. One of our reservations is that there is no guarantee any wider reduction in tax would be passed on to consumers, so while we keep all taxes under review, we have no plans to make changes.

Treasury: Civil Servants

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, for what reasons the Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury was removed from his post on 8 September 2022; and how much this removal cost the public purse.

James Cartlidge: Sir Tom Scholar left his post on 8 September 2022. The information on HM Treasury Senior management remuneration will be published in HM Treasury Annual Report and Accounts 2022 – 23.

Ministry of Defence: Consultants

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to Answer of 7 November 2022 to Question 77439 on Ministry of Defence: Consultants, if he will publish a list of the external management consultants engaged with by his Department.

James Cartlidge: HM Treasury’s spend on consultancy is published and available for viewing within the Annual Report and Accounts. The names of all contracts issued for consultancy can be found using the Gov.Uk contracts finder (link included below). Contract Finder - Contracts Finder - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Financial Services: Regulation

Bob Blackman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to improve the regulatory framework for the financial services sector.

Andrew Griffith: The Financial Services and Markets Bill seizes the opportunities of Brexit, tailoring financial services regulation to UK markets to bolster our competitiveness and deliver better outcomes for consumers and businesses.The Bill implements the outcomes of the Future Regulatory Framework Review, revoking retained EU law, so it can be replaced with an approach designed for the UK.The Bill introduces secondary growth and competitiveness objectives and measures to ensure clear accountability, appropriate democratic input, and transparent oversight of the regulators.

Hospitality Industry: VAT

Cherilyn Mackrory: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has any plans to extend the VAT reduction for hospitality businesses beyond April 2023.

Victoria Atkins: The temporary reduced rate of VAT was introduced on 15 July 2020 to support the cash flow and viability of around 150,000 businesses and protect over 2.4 million jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors, which were severely affected by COVID-19. The relief, which ended on 31 March 2022, cost over £8 billion. All taxes are kept under review, but the Government has been clear that this was a temporary measure in response to COVID-19. It was appropriate that as restrictions were lifted and demand for goods and services in these sectors increased, the temporary VAT relief was first reduced and then removed in order to rebuild and strengthen the public finances.

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact on the profitability of Northern Ireland based businesses in the first year of a corporation tax rate of 25 per cent compared to the Irish Republic's rate of 12.5 per cent.

Victoria Atkins: Changes in Corporation Tax policy are factored into the Office for Budget Responsibility’s forecasts (OBR). Further detail is available in the OBR’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook which is published at fiscal events. To reassure markets of the Government’s commitment to fiscal discipline the Corporation Tax rate increase from 19 to 25 per cent, will go ahead from April 2023. 25 per cent is still the lowest rate in the G7 meaning the UK’s rate will remain internationally competitive and supportive of growth. The introduction of a small profits rate will keep the rate at 19 per cent for companies with profits of £50,000 or less. This means around 70 per cent of actively trading companies, including Northern Ireland based companies, will not see an increase in their rate.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has put in place to promote and encourage businesses and representatives of the mathematical sciences to apply for the new research and development tax credits for the mathematical sciences announced in March 2022.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to publish the application process for the new research and development tax credits for the mathematical sciences announced in March 2022.

Victoria Atkins: Following consultation, the Government announced at Spring Statement 2022 that it would change the definition of research and development (R&D) for the R&D tax reliefs, to remove the exclusion of pure mathematics. Expenditure on mathematics will therefore be able to qualify for the R&D expenditure credit (RDEC) and the SME R&D relief, where it meets the other rules for these tax reliefs. Claims to R&D relief are made by a company through its corporation tax return. HMRC will publish draft guidance in advance of the change and will invite comments on this. HMRC will also engage with business representative bodies to ensure they are aware of the changes.

Disguised Remuneration Loan Charge Review

Sarah Olney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of people seeking refunds due to the changes recommended by the Morse Review have been refunded by HMRC.

Victoria Atkins: Following Lord Morse’s Independent Loan Charge Review in 2019, HMRC established the Disguised Renumeration (DR) Repayment Scheme 2020 to repay voluntary payments that taxpayers had agreed to make as part of settlements concluded before changes were made to the scope of the Loan Charge. Individuals and employers had until 30 September 2021 to apply to HMRC for a refund or waiver.HMRC repays amounts that were paid in DR scheme settlements, and/or waives amounts of instalments due that have not yet been paid if certain conditions are met. As of 28 October 2022, HMRC had processed over 2350 applications, of which over 1350 had received either a repayment, a waiver, or both. Over 1000 of the applications processed at that date were either invalid or ineligible.

Regional Planning and Development

Alexander Stafford: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to level up communities.

Nicola Richards: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what fiscal steps his Department is taking to encourage levelling up across the UK.

John Glen: The Levelling Up White Paper set out a clear plan to level up every corner of the UK by 2030.The £150m Community Ownership Fund is helping communities across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to take ownership of assets at risk of closure.And we’re continuing to invest billions in regional infrastructure, including £1.7 billion already awarded through the Levelling Up Fund.

Public Expenditure: Inflation

Deidre Brock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of inflation on the budgets of devolved governments.

John Glen: Spending Review 2021 provided the devolved administrations with their largest annual block grants, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since 1998. As a result, the devolved administrations’ funding is still growing in real terms over the Spending Review period despite higher inflation, which means they remain well-funded to deliver their devolved responsibilities. I continue to actively engage on this issue with my counterparts in the devolved administrations.

Cost of Living: Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has for tackle the disproportionate impact of increases in the cost of living on young wheelchair users.

John Glen: The Government recognises that the rising cost of living has presented additional financial challenges to many people, and especially to the most vulnerable members of society, such as disabled people and wheelchair users. That is why the Government is taking decisive action to get households through this winter, while ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way. Disabled people who are in receipt of extra-costs disability benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Disability Living Allowance (DLA) will receive a one-off Disability Cost of Living Payment of £150 from 20th September, to help with the rising cost of living. The DWP has already processed around 6 million such payments. This payment can be received in addition to the other £650 Cost of Living Payment for households on means-tested benefits that was announced as part of the same package. Individuals who have limited or no ability to work because of their disability or health condition, and are in receipt of means-tested benefits such as income-related Employment and Support Allowance or the Universal Credit Health top up, are eligible for this support. Disabled people and wheelchair users will also benefit from other forms of non-means-tested support which the Government is providing to assist with household energy bills. We have taken decisive action to support millions of households with rising energy costs this winter through the Energy Price Guarantee, ​which limits the price suppliers can charge customers for units of gas and electricity. In addition to the Energy Price Guarantee, millions of the most vulnerable households will receive further support this year through the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme. The £150 Council Tax rebate will also mean that all households in Council Tax bands A-D will receive a rebate, and 99% of eligible households have already received this. Lastly, to support households who need further help or who are not eligible for elements of the wider package of support, the Government is also providing an extra £500 million of local support to help with the cost of essentials until the end of March 2023, via the Household Support Fund. We are continuing to keep the situation under review and are focusing support on the most vulnerable whilst ensuring we act in a fiscally responsible way.

Financial Services: Discrimination

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle discrimination experienced by customers in their dealings with the financial services industry.

Andrew Griffith: The Government is committed to tackle financial exclusion and discrimination and aims for everyone, whatever their background or income, to be able to access useful and affordable financial products and services. The Government works closely together with regulators, the financial services industry and other stakeholders, to ensure that all consumers of financial services are appropriately protected. There are a number of legal obligations and regulatory rules that safeguard the fair treatment of customers. The relevance of these rules will vary depending on the form of discrimination in question and the product or service on offer. In February 2021, the FCA published its finalised guidance for firms on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers, setting out a number of areas of best practice. This guidance explores, among other things, how firms can understand the needs of vulnerable customers and provide targeted services for this cohort. In addition, like all service providers, financial services firms are bound under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments, where necessary, in the way they deliver their services.

Financial Services: Fraud

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with financial services on ensuring that (a) vulnerable people and (b) all other consumers are protected from fraud and scams.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) adequacy and (b) effectiveness of measures put in place by financial services to protect vulnerable people against fraud.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Chancellor of Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure vulnerable people are protected from fraud and scams when using digital banking services.

Andrew Griffith: The Government takes the issue of fraud very seriously and is dedicated to protecting the public from this devastating crime. The Home Office shortly intends to publish a new strategy to address the threat of fraud. It will work with industry to remove the vulnerabilities that fraudsters exploit, with intelligence agencies to shut down fraudulent infrastructure, with law enforcement to identify and bring the most harmful offenders to justice, and with all partners to ensure that the public have the advice and support they need. The Government is also taking action through legislation in the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which enables the Payment Systems Regulator to mandate banks to reimburse victims of authorised push payment scams. The Government is aware that fraudsters often target the most vulnerable in our society, and expects that this legislation will result in more consistent and comprehensive reimbursement outcomes, ensuring victims are not left out of pocket through no fault of their own. Fraud prevention has also been supported by wider work of the Payment Systems Regulator, including introducing Confirmation of Payee requirements on the banking sector. This allows customers to check whether the name of a payee’s account matches the name and account details provided by a payer. The Government is also taking action to address fraudulent activity being hosted online through the Online Safety Bill. The Bill includes a new standalone duty requiring large internet firms to tackle fraudulent advertising, including of financial services. More generally, the Financial Conduct Authority’s (FCA) Principles for Businesses includes a general requirement for firms to provide a prompt, efficient and fair service to all of their customers. The FCA’s guidance on the fair treatment of vulnerable customers sets out its expectations on how firms can understand the needs of vulnerable customers and provide targeted services for this cohort. Examples range from staff having the skills and capability to recognise and respond to the needs of vulnerable customers to product and service design, customer services, and communication.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Tourism

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department has taken to assess annual trends in the level of tourism in the January to March season.

Stuart Andrew: The Great Britain Tourism Survey (GBTS) and the Inbound Passenger Survey (IPS) are the primary sources of data DCMS uses to understand trends in domestic and inbound tourism activities respectively.The surveys illustrate that the period from January to March tends to be the off-peak season for inbound and domestic visitors in the UK. Using 2019 as an example, we welcomed 8.3 million inbound visitors between January and March, representing 20.4% of all inbound visitors for that year. In terms of domestic tourism, 18.5% (18.3 million) of domestic overnight trips took place between January and March inclusive, as compared to 29.6% for July to September 2019.For 2022, January inbound visits and spend were lower due to the impact of the Omicron COVID-19 variant. However, visits and spend then quickly picked up from February, and the government removed all remaining COVID-19 international travel restrictions for all passengers from 18 March, providing a further boost to inbound numbers.The government is working with VisitBritain to boost tourism and extend the season beyond the summer to boost sector productivity, provide more full-time employment and provide benefits for the visitor economy all year round.

Sports: Cryptocurrencies

Aaron Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impacts of cryptoasset schemes promoted by the sporting industry on consumers.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has noted a growing market of partnerships between sports bodies and crypto asset businesses.The variety of crypto asset products is wide and evolving. We have always encouraged innovation in sports markets but this must be done with the interests of fans in mind and must be transparent on risks.My officials have discussed cryptoassets in conversations with the Premier League, the English Football League and the Treasury.As I stated in the recent Westminster Hall Debate on this issue, the government will continue to monitor the use and promotion of cryptoassets in sport and will factor this into considerations around the wider cryptoasset market and its regulation.

Tourism: British Nationals Abroad

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will have discussions with the organisers of hen, stag and party weekends on the potential negative effects of those types of holidays on the destinations in which they take place.

Stuart Andrew: We remain committed to supporting the tourism sector under the framework of the Tourism Recovery Plan (TRP). The objectives aim to support the sector to remain resilient and continue as an engine for growth.DCMS considers issues and impacts across the tourism industry with senior industry representatives through the Tourism Industry Council. Also represented on the Council are Destination Management Organisations (DMOs), who speak for the impact on regional destinations, and the Local Government Association, who represent the views of local authorities and communities.The Government supports the sharing economy and the economic benefits that it can bring. However, we are aware of some of the concerns about the potential negative effects on local communities that short term lets may have, as opposed to other types of accommodation. As a first step to address these challenges, we held a Call for Evidence between June and September 2022, and we are now analysing the responses.The Home Office is responsible for the development and maintenance of alcohol policy, including the Licensing Act 2003. Decision-making on matters relating to alcohol licensing and enforcement thereof is devolved to local authorities. Anyone making an application for a premises licence must set out the steps they will take to promote the licensing objectives: prevention of crime and disorder, the prevention of public nuisance, public safety and the protection of children.

Tourism

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to promote UK holiday destinations to people abroad.

Stuart Andrew: Many events took place in 2022 which attracted tourists to different locations across the UK, from the Commonwealth Games to Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and a variety of UNBOXED events. These sporting and cultural events provided attractive incentives for domestic tourists to explore destinations across the country and for international tourists venturing overseas post-pandemic to make the UK a destination of choice.Earlier this year, VisitBritain ran its Welcome to Another Side of Britain marketing campaign. The £14 million GREAT-funded campaign put the spotlight on Britain’s cities, hit hard by the absence of international visitors, as well as on messages of welcome and reassurance to targeted markets with the greatest potential for quickly driving back value - including Europe and the US.2023 is shaping up to be another year of exciting major events across the UK which will attract many international tourists. From HRH King Charles’ coronation in May; to the major international music event, Eurovision, which will be hosted on behalf of Ukraine in Liverpool; and sporting events such as the Golf Open and the World Snooker Championships, these historic events will continue to shine a spotlight on the UK and continue to support the UK’s tourism sector to thrive.The Government will work with VisitBritain to market these events to our key international markets, with a campaign in the new year.

Leisure and Voluntary Work: Refugees

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help provide access for refugees in urban areas to (a) leisure and sports facilities and (b) volunteering opportunities to help assist with their integration into that community.

Stuart Andrew: Integrating refugees into their communities is very important. Leisure and sport, and volunteering, play a huge part in this.Sport and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health and vital in connecting communities. Sport England is responsible for growing and advocating for grassroots sport and physical activity in England and does this through a variety of interventions. This has included a delivery pilot funded by Sport England to engage refugee and asylum seekers in sport and physical activity in Halifax. That programme has received a positive reception so far and Sport England are exploring how to sustain this work in the longer term.Volunteering is critical to a vibrant and resilient society. It benefits both volunteers and charitable organisations, and creates transformational impacts for beneficiaries and their communities.This Government is committed to enabling people to take part in all forms of social action, including volunteering. We know the profound benefit that volunteering has on the individual, on communities and on society.Through the £7.4m Volunteering Futures Fund, we are creating thousands more volunteering opportunities to improve accessibility of volunteering in the arts, culture, sports, civil society, youth and heritage sectors. The fund is helping a diverse range of people to access the benefits volunteering can bring. There is a strong focus on young people, those experiencing loneliness, those with disabilities and those from ethnic minority backgrounds. We also work in partnership with the National Association for Voluntary and Community Action (NAVCA) which supports communities from migrant backgrounds.In addition, volunteering is supported by the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector and this government supports VCSE through initiatives such as Vision for Volunteering. We recognise the specific needs of refugee communities and, for example, made sure the Homes for Ukraine scheme was well connected with VCSE organisations in this space.Refugees are free to volunteer and asylum seekers can also volunteer whilst their claim to become refugees is considered. It is this government's policy to support asylum seekers volunteering for charities or public sector organisations.**Home Office (October 2022) Permission to work and volunteering for asylum seekers

FIFA: Human Rights

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to encourage FIFA to (a) enhance and strictly implement its human rights criteria for future events and (b) strengthen its human rights due diligence processes.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has frank conversations at international level with our counterparts around the world on issues such as human rights, and we will continue to have those conversations.Sport operates independently of government, therefore direct representations to FIFA on their criteria and due diligence processes for future events would be a matter for Home Nation football governing bodies to raise.

Football: Teachers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will meet with the Professional Footballers' Association to discuss what steps her Department could take to help encourage more ex-professional football players to pursue a career in teaching.

Stuart Andrew: I will be meeting the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) next month to discuss a range of issues. Football players have many options available to them when they retire and the PFA does important work to help them prepare for life after football, which may include a career in teaching.We are continuing to invest in attracting the best teachers where they are needed the most through our teaching marketing campaign, support services for prospective trainees, and our new in-house teacher recruitment journey and associated digital services which are making it easier for great people to become teachers.We will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by 2024, giving all teachers and school leaders access to world-class, evidence-based training and professional development at every stage of their career.

Semiconductors: Production

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether the Government has a strategy for the production of semiconductors in Britain.

Paul Scully: The Government recognises the importance of semiconductor technology to the global economy. Semiconductors are a fundamental enabling technology for electronic devices and the UK holds strengths in critical aspects of the advanced semiconductor supply chain, including semiconductor design.On behalf of the government, DCMS has been reviewing its approach to the UK’s global semiconductor sector and intends to set out its support for the sector in the forthcoming UK Semiconductor Strategy. This will build on existing HMG support for innovation and infrastructure such as the Driving the Electronic Revolution challenge and the National Epitaxy Facility amongst others.Domestically, the government is exploring how we can further support the UK semiconductor industry, protecting and growing existing UK capabilities, and seizing new opportunities - including in semiconductor design, compound chips, and academic research in related fields. We are also collaborating closely with international partners to capitalise and strengthen the UK’s competitive advantage and improve long term resilience within the global semiconductor ecosystem, recognising that the challenges facing the sector cannot be solved by the UK alone.

Local Broadcasting: Television

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to proposals in the Up Next Policy Paper on a consultation on individual local television station licenses before the end of 2022, when that consultation will be launched.

Julia Lopez: We will publish a consultation paper on future local television licensing in due course.

Channel Four Television: Privatisation

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what her policy is on the privatisation of Channel 4.

Julia Lopez: Channel 4 is a great UK success story and, in a rapidly changing media landscape, the government wants it to thrive in the long-term while maintaining its distinctiveness.As set out in our recent white paper, Up Next - the government’s vision for the broadcasting sector, Channel 4 - along with all broadcasters - is facing challenges to its future success and sustainability. This is due to the rapidly evolving media landscape, including unprecedented competition for viewers, programmes and talent from overseas as well as new, rapidly growing, streaming platforms.The Secretary of State is reviewing the business case for a sale of Channel 4 and will set out further detail in due course.

Media

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans she has to progress the Media Bill proposed in the Queen's Speech on 10 May 2022.

Julia Lopez: The Government will introduce the Media Bill when Parliamentary time allows.

Public Service Broadcasting

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to ensure that only public service broadcasters have the right to broadcast listed events.

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she plans to extend the listed events regime to include digital on-demand rights to help ensure continued free access to key national sporting events and moments.

Julia Lopez: The Government believes that certain sporting events of national interest should be shown on free-to-air television so that they can be enjoyed by as wide an audience as possible.We want to ensure that as viewing habits change and technology evolves the regulatory framework remains fit for purpose.The listed events regime works effectively for traditional linear broadcasting by prohibiting the broadcast of exclusive rights of an event on the list without prior consent from Ofcom. The current list is divided into two categories (Group A and Group B) and where rights holders make an event available, full live coverage must be offered for purchase to qualifying channels for events in Group A. Group B events may have live coverage on subscription TV provided that secondary coverage or highlights are offered for purchase to qualifying broadcasters. However, no rights holder can be compelled to sell its rights, and no broadcaster can be compelled to acquire rights.In our Broadcasting White Paper, we announced our intention to make qualification for the listed events regime a PSB-specific benefit. This will more clearly enshrine the important role our PSBs play in distributing important and valuable content to UK audiences. The Government will introduce this legislation when Parliamentary time allows.Our Broadcasting White Paper also confirmed our intention to undertake a review to look at whether the scope of the listed events regime should be extended to include digital rights. The Government is speaking to stakeholders to look at whether in the face of technological change, the objectives of the existing regime are still being met and whether digital rights should be included in the regime. The review will need to balance the ability for audiences to watch national sporting events at no additional cost with the ability for sporting organisations to generate revenues from sports rights to re-invest in their sports at all levels.The Terms of Reference for the review can be found here.

Leisure: Facilities

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if she will make an estimate of how many leisure centres may close (a) temporarily and (b) permanently due to rising costs in winter 2022-23.

Stuart Andrew: The Government recognises the impact rising energy prices will have on organisations of all sizes, including on providers of indoor leisure facilities. In September the government announced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme, under which businesses and other non-domestic energy users (including leisure facilities) will be offered support. We are working with Sport England and sector partners including ukactive to closely monitor the impact of this on public leisure centres.The Government invested £100 million in the National Leisure Recovery Fund, which supported the reopening of local authority leisure centres and facilities throughout the country after the pandemic.

Tourism

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for International Trade on promoting inbound tourism.

Stuart Andrew: We work closely with all government departments on matters relating to tourism and the Department for International Trade is invited to the Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy, which is due to meet again in December this year.DCMS engages with DIT on a Ministerial and at an Official level.

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Trade Promotion

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether she is taking steps with industry stakeholders to help ensure that delegations representation holiday destinations in the UK are present hospitality and tourism trade fairs.

Stuart Andrew: I recently attended the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, which is one of the global travel trade’s largest events responsible for reconnecting, rebuilding and innovating the industry. Here, the UK was represented by Trade Associations (such as UKInbound), Destination Management Organisations (such as VisitWest), and delegates from countries around the world.The WTM was an opportunity to underline the government’s support for the travel and tourism sector. My attendance demonstrated that HMG is prioritising the recovery of the sector, and that bringing back inbound tourism levels to meet and surpass 2019 figures is a key driver of economic growth.Such business events generate Foreign Direct Investment and trade in the UK’s most lucrative growth sectors, with an estimated £165 billion of trade transacted each year at trade shows and exhibitions in the UK (World Travel Market itself generates £2.8 billion in industry deals).Forums such as the Tourism Industry Council and the Inter-Ministerial Group on the Visitor Economy ensure that delegations representing holiday destinations in the UK are present and briefed to showcase Britain as a global knowledge hub for hospitality and tourism trade fairs.VisitBritain organise trade events, such as ExploreGB, Destination Britain North America, and Destination Britain China, to connect international buyers with British suppliers and destinations in order to open up new connections and business opportunities.

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Supply Chains

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the viability of the supply chains which support the UK tourism and hospitality sector.

Stuart Andrew: The resilience of UK supply chains is a key priority for this Government. Through our free trade agreements and market access work, the Department for International Trade is supporting British businesses to build more diverse and resilient supply chains which will be crucial in tackling challenges both today and in the future.Last year, UK supply chains were disrupted by a spike in demand following COVID lockdowns and global shipping challenges. This year, the conflict in Ukraine, other geopolitical tensions, and rolling industrial action have added further pressure.DCMS sectors continue to face a number of labour market issues, especially shortages in the hospitality sector. We are also seeing greater competition between sectors for staff. The Government set up a Ways to Work campaign to help move job-ready claimants into work. The Department for Work and Pensions Account Managers have worked with the largest employers and small and medium businesses have worked with local job centres directly to help fill the vacancies in businesses that have staff shortages.

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Trade Promotion

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to help promote the UK hospitality and tourism sectors.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to promote UK hospitality and tourism to potential overseas customers.

Stuart Andrew: In 2021, the government published two key documents which have been key to promoting the UK hospitality and tourism industry following the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Recovery Plan (TRP) and the Hospitality Strategy.  The TRP sets out the role of the UK Government in assisting and accelerating the tourism sector’s recovery from COVID-19. The Tourism minister has continued to co-chair the Tourism Industry Council (TIC) meetings, to engage with stakeholders to assess how we can most effectively support tourism’s recovery across the UK.The Hospitality Strategy set out twenty-two commitments to support the sector across a range of policy areas, grouped into three themes: Reopening, Recovery, and Resilience. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) launched the Hospitality Sector Council to oversee the delivery of the strategy, and BEIS officials continue to work with the Council and the sector to deliver the strategy commitments.The Government will continue to work with VisitBritain to promote the UK as a tourist destination domestically and internationally. In 2022, VisitBritain ran its Welcome to Another Side of Britain marketing campaign. The £14 million GREAT-funded campaign put the spotlight on Britain’s cities, hit hard by the absence of international visitors, as well as on messages of welcome and reassurance.

Arts: Finance

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2022 to Question 72233 on Arts: Finance, how much and what proportion of Arts Council England’s annual budget for this investment round is non-ring fenced grant-in-aid provided by her Department.

Stuart Andrew: On 4 November 2022, Arts Council England announced plans to invest a total budget of around £446 million per year through its 2023–26 Investment Programme. Arts Council England forecasts that £351.8 million (equivalent to 78.8%) will be supported by non-ring fenced Grant-in-Aid. Further detail is available at Arts Council England’s website.

House of Commons Commission

Members: Security

James Wild: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the House of Commons Commission, if he will publish the (a) key performance indicators and (b) service level agreements in the contract for Members' security services.

Sir Charles Walker: Security of Members away from the parliamentary estate is a top priority for the Parliamentary Security Department (PSD). Contracts for Members’ security services are managed by PSD, who work with PPCS (Parliamentary Procurement & Commercial Service) to closely monitor performance. The key performance indicators and service level agreements are commercially sensitive with the companies that provide these services under contract, and cannot be published.

Women and Equalities

Conversion Therapy

Stephen Farry: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with (a) Ministers and (b) officials in Northern Ireland on legislation to ban LGBTQ+ conversion therapy; and whether she is taking steps to align such legislation for (i) England and Wales and (ii) Northern Ireland.

Stuart Andrew: The Government has been liaising with territorial offices and the devolved administrations including the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive on this important issue.Officials will continue to work with their counterparts across the devolved administrations to discuss the UK Government’s approach to protecting everyone in England and Wales from conversion therapy practices.